Now Comes the Hour
by Kiss of the Breeze
Summary: Everyone has their secrets, his blue eyes held more than most. When the truth came out the clock was set... If one minute could change the course of forever, imagine what two could do. :movie-verse:
1. Chapter 1

_**(A/N): I first got the idea for this story when at the beginning of the movie I couldn't help but pay extra attention to the ring of mushrooms around the old well. In some cultures- or maybe it's limited only to the Irish- one wants to avoid standing in a ring of mushrooms as they are fairy circles and you're left open to be taken by them; this is especially true for young maidens, as is always the case with such things. Inspiration part two centered around the cat himself, "I've been coming here for a while now." He had said snidely. Then it became a question of **_why**_._**

_**Note: I have not yet read the book. Even if I should, there still might be some slight discrepancies between it and this as in regards to the characters and the general layout of the Pink Palace. So, sorry in advance but I don't think they shall be too irksome in the end. **_

_**(Disclaimer): I own not Wybourne or Coraline, the Cat or Shakespeare. Neither do I **_The Jungle.

There was never a question of 'why a cat?' for him. It seemed the obvious choice. Dogs were fierce but lacked grace and mobility. A bird would have eliminated the atrocious little battle scare that nearly left him missing an ear, but, they too were annoyingly limited. Plus, in the end, it's always good to strive to be as unappealing to one's opponent as possible and having found out the Beldam hated cats just made his job all the more interesting.

Yes, a cat was hands down the best choice for an alternative form to take while traveling dimensional planes. He couldn't simply stay as he was because that would rouse far too much commotion should he not succeed swiftly and, as luck would have it, he did not. The tail was a nice touch but the sudden loss of his thumbs was a bit much and was one of the main factors of it taking him years– along with the help of an eleven year old– to finish his assignment. It was bloody good luck Coraline had come along when she had. 'And the fact that she hadn't been a complete dolt about it helped matters along nicely.' He admitted to himself.

Now, six years later, he still found himself in Oregon. His initial thoughts had been that once he had removed the Beldam he would be summoned home. It was a tad disheartening and more than a little irritating to be ignored by one's ruler/employer.

The cat huffed an indistinguishable sigh and rolled over so that his stomach would be in better reach for a scratch. Of course, being here wasn't _all _bad, he reasoned. In fact, if he did go home there was always the strong possibility that the queen would just send him out on another mission to combat the forces of evil in order to keep the universal balance in check. And that, of course, would mean an end to his pampering.

He was currently stretched out on Coraline's lap while she in turn lie propped on one of the low metal benches in the garden behind the lack luster Pink Palace. She was reading one of her school required summer assignments and her fingers traced him idly when they weren't called to turn the page. In the distance birds chirped merrily and the temperature rested pleasantly in the upper seventies fahrenheit.

He often found himself in Coraline's company of late. His reasons being that a seventeen year old girl smelled a lot better than did a boy of the same age range. Wybourne was highly entertaining, always had been, and Coraline too had her moments, but, the biggest advantage the girl had over her friend- besides hygiene- was the fact that she could be mature. From time to time. The cat changed position again, stretching his forelegs before rubbing against the supple curves of her young body. 'Yes, mature.' He thought with an inward chuckle.

His private joke didn't last long as a swat to the head dampened his humor, "Don't get fresh." Coraline warned, peeking over the rim of her book. He rolled his eyes and gave a lazy, "Reow" to her chide. Some things you just couldn't get away with once a person knew you were sentient and capable of conversation.

He batted his tail and found a comfortable position again to go back to enjoying the late summer sun while he could and Coraline's fingers began again rubbing soothing trails down his lean back. Her gentle ministrations, coupled with the warm rays from above, were enough to weigh his eyelids and his already relaxed body gave into a nap.

He had been stranded this side of reality for twenty-two years now, and as more time went on the less and less he ever had dreams where he was himself. So, it very much surprised him then when in his unconsciousness he found himself once more bipedal and dexterous. It didn't take long to discover why. Standing in front of him in this haze between worlds was a young woman with blood red hair that rested in layers on her shoulders and hazel green eyes that matched her dress. The mage princess -in all her astral projection glory- grinned at him, "_We'll be summoning you back soon. Best be finding yourself a fairy circle to stand in."_

"_Finally realized that you missed me, hmm?"_ He asked her in return, running his hands through his short cropped and choppy black hair- enjoying the feel of it after not being able to in so long.

"_We've been in about three different wars these last 100 years. Sorry your return wasn't at the top of our to do list." _She said with a roll of her eyes. _"But ,the defeat of that child snaring, soul trapping witch did not go unnoticed! Good job at _finally_ completing your mission. Maybe if you had accomplished it sooner you could have already been back."_

He flexed his shoulder, not ruffled by her insult in the slightest and deciding to ignore the jibe altogether, _"100 years? Oh yes, time does flow differently over there doesn't it." _Being on Earth for so long had begun to muddle his memory. He gave her a coy smirk, _"Alright then, what time can I expect you to come a-calling?" _He thought about it for a second. A hundred years was a long time, in either dimension, _"Is my room still there?"_

She gave him a cocky grin, "_But I thought by now you would have liked living outside?"_

"_Exceptionally so..."_ He said as if he meant it, and nodding seriously.

"_Oh quit being a smart-aleck." _She said in a huff. _"The spell will be cast midnight your time tomorrow. You might want to look into grabbing yourself some clothes to change into. Marion came back from an animal via portal a little while ago and had half the castle in a tissy with his bare bum walking calmly back to his room. I'm not sure if it's always been like that or if it's a new fluke in the spell."_

The man gave a feral grin at the thought. Currently, he did not need to worry about this problem. In this astral plane he was wearing the last thing he'd worn before his assignment: a light brown tunic and off white slacks. _"I'm sure you yourself had a time wi-" _He was not able to finish the sentence.

The sudden jerk back into reality was as disorienting as it was uncomfortable. Coraline had picked him up so that she could stand without rudely sending him plummeting to the ground. She'd might as well have, he thought, as he shot her a half glare from the bench. He hadn't even been allowed to finish his taunting!

"Well, that's about as much of Hamlet as can take." She said patting him briskly on the head. "Sorry I woke you." She told him after catching what she correctly perceived as displeasure on the disheveled feline's face. "You hungry? I bet dinner's almost done. I can nab you something if you like."

His ears perked at the offer, all past transgressions forgotten at the mentioned bribe of food. He hopped down off the warm bench and followed her up the pathway to her apartment. "**Oh I die Horatio!**" She quoted, swinging her tattered book in front of her, "How I die!" She looked down at him as she opened the door and allowed him to walk in first. "Took him for freaking ever too." She commented. "Pfft, Shakespeare."

The cat simply sighed and shook his head. Shakespeare indeed. He had the slightest feeling he might have known the man personally at some point, but crossing the veil between worlds so many times... memory only went so far back. After about three hundred years it all got kind of blurry.

"Mmm, smells great mom!" Coraline called cheerfully as she bounded into the kitchen, the aged wood floor squeaking in protest under the violent movement.

"Ugh, how many times have I asked you to keep that cat out of the kitchen?" Her mother asked, ignoring her daughter's usual enthusiasm. "I'd rather you not let it in the house at all..." She added in a mutter under her breath. But of course, that was an argument she had never won and had finally relented that she probably never would.

"He's just as starved as I am!" Coraline reasoned. She reached over and picked him up, "How much longer till it's time to eat?" She asked, disappointed that it wasn't already on the table and waiting.

"About ten minutes." Came her answer. "Now please, not in the kitchen. I don't want hair to get in the food!"

The girl sighed dramatically and turned on her heels to go wait in the living room. She plopped down in the newly reupholstered couch and rested her arm against the bright red armrest. With her grip on him now lax, the cat jumped down and walked over to the large oak dresser drawer that now sat guarding the locked entrance to the Beldam's lair. Radiating from that spot was still trace amounts of her power, thinning the veil and allowing ample enough magick to enable him to speak, a secret he'd been keeping from the girl since that fateful day six years ago.

"Coraline," he spoke slowly so as not to solicit a yell. It proved to be a pointless endeavor as she promptly let out a yelp before nearly jumping off the couch. "I need to ask a favor of you," he continued on as if uninterupted.

Her head whipped around so quickly that her neck popped in the process and her hair– which she still wore short, and had only recently gone back to dying blue– whipped into her face. "You can talk! I thought you could only do that over-"

"Which is precisely why I am standing so close to the doorway." He told her matter-of-factly. "I'm going to be leaving tomorrow. Permanently. I was wondering if you could snatch an outfit from your father's wardrobe as a departing gift?" He'd thought about what the princess had said about returning to his true form naked and had come up with this simple solution.

"You're leaving!" She seemed in complete shock. "Why? I'm not even going to _ask _what you want with dad's clothes... Does Wybie know?"

"Yes, I'm going home. And no, naturally he does not. You're still the only one who has ever heard me talk." He told her patiently.

Her almond eyes mirrored her frown as she looked over at him, a slump in her shoulders. "Well, I've told him that you could. Since you're leaving anyway, why don't I call him over and you can show him!" She asked, quickly getting up from her seat and walking over to the doorway to call down the hall to her mother.

The cat chuckled. So Wybourne knew he could talk? That would explain some things, the tape-recorder on his night stand least of all. "Why not? But Please, no one else. I would hate for my last day here to be spent saying simple sentences for oos and ahs to an audience."

Coraline nodded and leaned her head out the door, "Mom! Can Wybie come over? There'll be enough for him too, right?"

The cat's ear swiveled towards the kitchen and his advanced hearing caught the sound of an exasperated sigh, "I guess. Do what you want, I don't care."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

Dinner had been quite an interesting display as both teenagers hurried to inhale their food so that they could leave to the living room where the cat waited. Coraline had slipped him a saucer with a slice of the meatloaf they were having before going to join her friend and parents at the supper table. He couldn't see them but he could hear as their stiff interactions and rushed devouring of their meal revealed their excitement. He could only imagine the facial expressions of the two adults as they witnessed the display first hand.

"I knew teenagers were monsters, but what on earth was that?" He heard Mr. Jones comment in muted amusement at the clank of dishes going into the sink.

"Thanks for the meal, Mrs. Jones." Wybie said with only trace amounts of awkwardness in his voice. "It was really good."

"Honey, do you think we should enter your meatloaf in a county fair or something?"

"Oh stop it." Came the good-natured reply.

The sound of two pairs of pounding footsteps heralded the teens return and the parlor doors swung open then shut before he had time to blink. Wybourne looked positively ecstatic as he eyed the feline anxiously while said cat cleaned himself idly. The young man had been wanting to hear for himself for so long. It wasn't a matter of disbelief; no, after witnessing and helping to take down the animated hand of the Beldam, he was willing to accept most everything of the background story Coraline gave for the incident. Besides, the cat had always seemed to hold hidden intelligence behind those blue eyes of his. It was one of the reasons Wybourne liked him so much.

"So, how come you never talked to me?" Wybie asked him, crossing the floor and sitting down in front of the thin black animal on the dingy purple and red throw rug that graced the center of the spacious room.

"Because, you do not have a magick leak in your house to allow for such things." The cat said simply. The look on the boy's face at hearing his first sentence was absolutely priceless. It was clear that he had been intending to play it off calmly but once he was actually spoken to, his grin spread so wide it appeared his cheeks would rip. "Because the veil between dimensions is thin here I am not entirely bound to the rules of this world."

"So, you're not even from this world?" The chocolate skinned teen asked in fascination.

"A brilliant deduction," the feline answered sardonically with a nod of his head.

"It's kind of sad that you're leaving though..." Coraline said, joining her friend in sitting on the ground. She had been making sure the doors were locked, she would take any kind of scolding over that later, should her parents find out and question.

"Yeah, it'll feel kind of empty around here with you gone." Wybie added dishearteningly. "If you're not from around here, though, where are you from and what brought you to this dump anyway?"

"You were after the Other Mother weren't you?" Coraline concluded quickly before he could speak.

"Indeed, I was. She was a danger to this world. I'm what you might call a member of the special forces on my world. Part time bounty hunter, part time repo-man, palace guard, person who fills in space, you name it." He said, priding himself at the look of awe that passed across the two's faces. He supposed it did sound like a lot to an outsider. He'd been living this life for so long– around people who did the same kinds of things– that it all had lost its grandeur some time ago and had simply become the norm to him. It felt good to be admired and he purred under the attention.

"So, where is your world?" Coraline asked, thinking that it must be like the Other Mother's web, some pocket of alternate reality.

"You're standing in it, so to speak. This world is like flat surface with different layers stacked on top of one another and exists as one entity but separated by a veil so that they can coexist on different terms. There's Earth, and then there's Rahet."

Coraline nodded and Wybie cocked his head to the side, taking it all in slowly but surely. "You're all of that... even though you're a cat?" Wybourne ventured after a moment, picking at loose strings in the rug. The little thing obviously _wasn't _from around here, but some of what the creature said sounded a little like undue bragging.

At Wybie's comment a light went off in Coraline's head. "He asked for some of my dad's clothes earlier... Oh my gosh! You're not really a cat at all, are you?" Six years of sharing her room off and on with the animal only to find out it wasn't just a magically sentient cat.

"I've been a cat for twenty some odd years now. I'm quite stuck like this until I return home." He said with what was unmistakably a grin at the girl's furious blush. With not haven spoken since the events of the Beldam he was certain she almost believed him nothing more than a cat, that the Other World was the only reason behind his ability to talk. Seeing her realize the truth was rather fun.

Wybourne didn't quite understand what her adverted stare and blush were for and so asked another question to remove the quickly settling awkwardness. "So, how are you going to go back?"

The cat's tail twitched as he pondered this for a moment. "Perhaps by the old well. That's the only place I can recall where there's a perfect fairy ring." Half of his comment was just mussing out loud and because of that he had to quickly explain as a look of confusion passed over his listener's features. "A circle of mushrooms."

Wybie grinned at that, "Oh! Like that old wives' tale! So, they really do work as portals to other realms, huh?" He had read it in a book once and felt proud to know exactly what it was being talked about. He had a whole shelf on his bookcase dedicated to folklore and the supernatural, as a matter of fact. Now, he was beginning to wonder just how much of that stuff might actually be based in fact.

"Yes, apparently it's the old wives that know anything worth knowing anymore. On that note, be sure not to startle your grandmother into dropping her broom while she's sweeping the porch." He said with a wink, then chuckled at the look of concern that crept across the boy's face. He was only joking with him. In fact, old wives only got things right half the time. The other half was as plausible as Wybourne being secretly female.

"_Wybourne!_" A distant call broke through their conversation and the young boy looked to the windows on the other side of the room in surprise. The sun was peeking through the two glass panes lazily, dripping dark orange and magenta across the interior of the room.

"Ack! It's already sunset?" He asked in disbelieve. He looked back at the cat, suddenly realizing that this was his last night with it. "Would you like to come home with me?" Even with all that was revealed about the cat this afternoon, Wybie still considered him a close friend. Coraline had had him for the last week, and if he was to be leaving forever tomorrow, Wybie wanted to have time to properly enjoy his company while he could.

"Yeah, you should go with him to his house." Coraline voiced, recalling again her embarrassment from earlier. He said he had been a cat for twenty years now, how old did that make him altogether!

"_Wybourne!_" His grandmother's voice held a more distinguishable note of irritation. Mrs. Lovat was gifted with a lot of features, a set of lungs was high on that list. Her grandson looked back and held his arms out to the cat, who in turn leaped into them gracefully.

"I'll walk you guys half way." Coraline offered, going over and unlocking the doors and holding them open for her friends.

"Reow."

o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o0o

The following day had passed in a slow and comfortable manner, the three of them spending the majority of their time in Coraline's den listening to the cat explaining things about his home as well as the how and when he would be leaving in greater detail. Wybie had joined the Joneses for dinner again and this time it passed in a normal fashion. As a going away gift Coraline had even given the cat a bigger piece than she normally would have of the baked fish they were having.

It was now currently going on eleven thirty at night and Wybourne and the cat sat at the crest of the hill in sight of the old well while they waited for Coraline to join them. She was off sneaking the promised clothes out of her laundry room and had told them she would only be a minute. Above the two, the moon was full for the summer solstice and as always the bright orb had an abundance of stars to keep it company. A gentle night breeze whisked through the surrounding trees and the gentle hum of insects fluctuated in pitch around them. When he was younger, Wybourne used to think this place was creepy, now, it just held a simple charm and a bit of sentimentality.

He looked down in his lap at the cat who lay curled there patiently and scratched behind his good ear. He had always treated the cat as a cat in the past, so why stop now, he reasoned. He was pleased to get a purr for his actions and switched hands so that he could get at a particularly nagging itch behind his own ear. The sound of crunching leaves and pebbles alerted them to Coraline's arrival and the boy motioned her over to the log he was using as a makeshift bench. "What time is it?" He asked her as she plopped down beside him and placed the folded, stolen clothes in her lap.

Coraline looked down at the wristwatch she wore and pressed a button on the side that caused the face to light up, "Eleven thirty-three." She announced. She squinted over to the cat in the dim lighting– it didn't help that he blended well into the dark material of Wybie's black shirt and pants, and asked him rhetorically, "So, do you think dad's cloths are going to fit you?"

'A bit big in the waist perhaps but they'll work until I can make it to my own closest.' He thought to himself in answer but gave her a nod, which he was sure she couldn't see.

She sighed and craned her head back to look at the fully lit night sky. Although she was a little sad about losing her friend, her stomach still tingled in excited anticipation. What would the portal look like? Despite her last bad encounter, the thought of witnessing magick still fascinated her.

"Have you finished any of your summer reading yet?" Wybie asked her, deciding to find something to talk about while they waited. With conversation now limited to the two of them again, he figured he'd start with something simple.

Coraline laughed. "Heck no! Have you?" She liked the distraction. It would help the time pass faster.

The boy nodded enthusiastically, his wild brown hair following the motion at its own pace as he did so. Out of the two of them he was the book worm. "The Jungle is actually really good. You might in fact enjoy that one! It talks about how gross the food processing companies used to be. Imagine a rat sausage? Or human fingers in your Spam!" He thought he would appeal to her morbid enjoyment of the grotesque. If he said the real point they were suppose to be gleaning from the homework was the conditions of the working class and an advocating of socialism during that time then he knew it would only prolong her procrastination.

"Oh, totally gross!" She said, scrunching her nose and sticking out her tongue. And with that the two began chatting about school, what teachers they hoped they got the upcoming semester and of course, gossip about their fellow students.

"What time is it?" Wybie probed some time later. He had no sense for keeping track with such things by estimate alone.

"Holy fudge!" Coraline obviously didn't have the sense for it either. "It's eleven fifty-eight!"

The cat was the first to react and was leaping onto the lid of the old well while the two teens flew up from the fallen tree. Coraline rushed over to him, and neatly placed the clothes beside him. "Guess this is goodbye." She said giving him a final ruffle on the head before straightening back up and turning to step back out of the circle.

To her surprise and horror, a flash of light swept around the rim of the well in the same instant she had raised her foot off the ground. Like fire licking up a trail of gasoline, a white shimmering curtain swooped around her and the cat. The last thing of her world she saw was Wybie's illuminated face frozen in surprise and arm outstretched in reflex.

Coraline blinked and the scene was drastically different. She was in a circular room on a pedestal quartered off with candles and bright moonlight drifted down from a high placed window to her right. In front of her was a girl dressed in a long yellow robe who had an expression of such confusion and shock it looked as if she'd just swallowed vinegar.

"Well isn't this just wonderful..." A familiar voice dragged out sarcastically from Coraline's left. "Could not have gone better even had there been explosives involved."

"I-I still had two minutes!" Coraline yelled indignantly and glared at her wristwatch. It had completely stopped moving, two minutes before the hour.

_**Ending Notes:**_

_**1- The wives' tale the cat was teasing Wybie with might just be a regional thing with us Appalachian folks. He's referring to the saying that if you drop a broom on the porch your first born will die. Yeah... you probably had never heard it before either. :shrug:**_

_**2- If this seems like a quickly put together piece of an idea from a girl who has weird interests then you're correct. Forgive me. A lot of the concepts herein are not original ideas of mine; like the thought of the layered dimensions and such. Yep, they've been floating around the real world for a while now. M-Theory anyone? :is a dork:**_

_**3**__**- You know what? I think I need to say this too, this story is going to seem such a pull away from the book and the movie /because/ of the talent of the original constructors. The movie had such a sense of finality to it that I almost feel bad for wanting to write this. I'm torn between there can't be more and that there's a whole world out there of more. So yes, this might as well be labeled Alternate Universe because until the last chapter, chapter one is the only time you'll see the setting that you found in **_Coraline**_. _**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

Times were peaceful once again in the kingdom, though admittedly, no one knew for how long that would last. In the following tranquil months the Queen had seen it fit to start recalling the soldiers who'd been stranded out of border during the conflicts, starting first with those in their plane and then working out towards Earth. It was high time she got her people home.

Althea had been selected to retrieve the individual who had been assigned the Beldam and had worriedly protested that she wasn't ready for such high level of magick. "Oh, don't fuss over it!" The red-headed princess had told her friend, clapping the other girl on the back as she nervously got ready for the casting. "Just don't think about it and allow instinct to work you through it." And with that the mage left her alone to do her job.

'You can do it!'

Oh what the princess would have thought now... Althea looked at the two figures on the summoning pedestal; one of which was hastily slipping into pants slightly too large for him and the other covering her face with both hands. There wasn't suppose to be two! She'd messed up big time, she just knew it!

The thin brunette stood there for a moment longer gaping wordlessly before taking off out the door yelling for her friend, "DAWN! DAWN! I THINK I MESSED UP!"

The frantic call of the departing girl caused Coraline to jerk her attention back up and drop her hands away from her eyes. She was still there...beside a no longer cat who was pulling tightly at the tie strings to a pair of her dad's old flannel lounge pants and holding a faded "Go Blue" Michigan football t-shirt with his teeth as he worked for a knot that would hold. Now that he was decent, she took the time to look him over.

Medium length black bangs fell into familiar baby blue eyes while the rest of the short layered hair swept back away from his face. His face was more narrow than full–the placement of his cheekbones hinting that this was from thinness rather than design– giving his features a lingering cat like quality. He was a whole head taller than she was and his olive skin a shade darker than her own. 'Overall,' She thought to herself despite the situation, 'not really what I would call unattractive.'

"I don't need this." His voice startled her and she refocused her eyes to meet his.

"Huh?" Coraline was slightly indignant, he didn't need this? Who was he to talk? She didn't need this! Here he was home and she was possibly stranded! Why would he-

He handed her the yellow and blue shirt and clarified, "It wouldn't match anyway. You may have no taste, but I'd like to think that I do." She blinked and took the proffered article, stopping her inner rant and very glad she hadn't verbalized it.

The lithe man stepped down the single stair and onto the floor, making it to the open door in only five steps. "Well?" He turned to her where she had not yet moved. "We had best go and warn the masses." And by masses he really had in mind the queen; the general public had nothing to do with anything.

"I can go back right?" Coraline asked him, her brown eyes narrowed suspiciously. He was acting extremely calm on the matter. Was that a good or bad sign she wondered. "I mean... you got over to my world so that obviously means the door—or portal thing—goes two ways right?"

The man shook his head with a pitying smirk. "I'm taking you to Queen Morgana. Hold your questions till then and there they shall have an answer." He felt her eyes on him as they walked down a daintily furnished, lantern lit hallway. "What?" He asked as her stare persisted.

"Well, now I know you have a name. Cats might not need to tell each other apart but humans do. So, what is it?" She asked as she followed him through the unfamiliar setting.

"Now, what makes you think I'm human?" He asked her, not answering her inquiry.

"You're walking on two legs and your ears aren't pointy, you're skin isn't green, and you don't have any unnecessary appendages... As far as I'm concerned, you're human." She answered back, completely undeterred.

"In this world none of that really counts for much."

"Urg! Just tell me your name, please?"

The two turned a corner and nearly ran into a tall blonde coming from the opposite direction. His hazel blue eyes widened a fraction and then upon recognition he grinned, his long elvish ears perking similar to the way a canine's would, "Sereno! Nice to have you back after so long." The three paused in the wide corridor and the stranger passed a glance between Coraline and the dark haired man. "Who's this?"

Coraline bowed in what she assumed was the polite thing to do. "My name is Coraline Jones." She introduced herself. This guy had inadvertently helped her get her way and so she liked him already.

The elf smiled at the obvious foreigner after giving his friend a curious quirk of his eyebrow, "Ralston Narda. A pleasure to meet you." He returned and then his attention flitted back to the other male, "What in the world are you wearing?" He was looking skeptically at the red-plaid slacks.

"We're on our way to seek an audience with the Queen, my wardrobe is of the least importance." Sereno answered with a roll of his eyes. He thought about it for a moment then reassessed his statement. "On second thought, a quick detour might be in order..." As informal as the Queen could be, to show up as such would probably get him banned from the castle for a day. Or worse, guard duty for Princess Dawn.

Coraline's head was buzzing. Her eyes were taking in everything, the potted plants framing each intersection of hall, the large tapestries hanging from the wall, the lush red and gold of the carpet– albeit not as impressive as they could have been were not the lighting slightly dim. She was in an honest to goodness castle! The magnitude of her situation was beginning to set in and her dread was slowly washed away by awe. She was surprised when she felt her free hand being taken and she tore her eyes away from the elaborate decorations back to her friend whose name she now finally knew.

Sereno was leading her back in the direction they'd just come from. "Where are we going?" The teenager asked, stealing a glance over her shoulder at the man—no, elf—she'd just met. He held the look of repressed bemusement about him as he waved goodbye to her before turning down another hallway.

"We're going to my room." He stated simply. "In a hundred years I bet you anything that it is still there and in the exact same state that I left it in." He remarked. It was rather sad, he thought. Nothing ever really changed over here in Rahet much. Well, that wasn't true, things just moved slower—ironic since it was so far ahead of Earth when it actually came to time.

"A hundred years? You've been gone that long?" Coraline now felt extremely perplexed and sorry for the man.

He shrugged, "We live longer here. What is a hundred years here is only about two decades where you're from. I would say that I haven't missed too much." Though he seemed confident, it had been the longest time he had spent away from home. "The reason I am so certain it's the same is that the castle is very proficient in that aspect. You don't have to worry about anything accumulating dust or suddenly going through a building wide redecoration spree. As far as living space goes, it's merely easier to just leave well enough alone."

Her head hurt. 'Why so complicated?' She wondered with a slight frown. She looked back down at her watch, a bright green contrasting her pale skin. Was it really broken or was this place just moving in hyper drive while it was not? She shook the thought from her head. 'One thing at a time, Coraline.' She decided.

He led her up a wide flight of stairs and into another long hallway. With no windows and a smaller walkway, this area seemed rather dark and it certainly lacked the flourish of the lower floor. Instead, this hall held intricately carved wooden doors, spaced one every couple of feet. They walked about halfway down the length before Sereno stopped at a door with a paper tacked to it. Coraline squinted at it in the dimness but was unable to make heads or tails of it; this was largely due to the fact that it was not written in English.

The former cat debated on asking her to just wait for him out here, but then he recalled the convenience of each private chamber having it's own connected bathroom. Sereno tore down the note and opened the door, walking in and expecting Coraline to follow. She shut the door behind her and the lights in the room began to grow stronger. What was once a faint glow upon their entrance was now the equivalent of a 50 watt light bulb and not a switch or knob had been touched by either of them. Once again Coraline was allowed a brief time to marvel.

"I'll only be a moment." The man said as he walked the length of the comfortable space to a large dresser pressed against the far wall, between two massive curtained windows. He disappeared behind a simple undecorated door on the right wall and Coraline was left alone to drink in her surroundings. Not even the fantasy filled room of the Other Mother's world compared to the bedroom she now stood in. Dark chocolate walls were offset by white wood furnishings with a rich red, king sized, long-curtained canopy bed on the left wall seeming to be the focal point. A round, light-brown fur rug lay in front of the bed over the tan carpet and a polished double door wardrobe stood opposite it, beside the door Sereno had gone through.

"Are all the rooms this fancy looking?" The girl asked, raising her voice only slightly just in case he might not be able to hear her clearly. The Other room she had spent a few nights in might have had more interestingly animated features, but her taste had matured slightly over the years and she was currently more impressed with this display.

"Fancy?" The man's tenor held a note of disbelief. "I realize you've been living in the Pink Palace for some time now but surely you can't think my room is fancy." He stepped back into the main room, now dressed in a formal white collared button-up and strait leg, dark black pants. Might he have even brushed his hair?

Coraline rolled her eyes. "No, this is fancy, dude." She insisted, gesturing with both arms around her for emphasis– her father's faded yellow shirt working like a flag. "I mean, sure, nothing is lined in gold or anything but sheesh!"

The raven haired man just smiled at her and shook his head. "Says the girl wearing a tie-dye tank top, pine green shorts and yellow socks." He chuckled at her huff and crossed arms but then seemed to remember his earlier train of thought, "Come with me, we should report your predicament at once."

The teen scrunched her brow in concern. "Are you sure? I mean, won't the queen get mad at being woken up? It was midnight when we got here, I think. I'm all for getting back but..."

Sereno brought a hand to his chin in thought. She did have somewhat of a point. But, there was also the fact that now an unauthorized alien was in the castle. Still yet, he had heard horror stories of Morgana having been woken up over matters she decided could have waited till morning.

Luckily for him, the decision was taken out of his hands. Barreling down the hallway came the yellow robed girl from earlier and a flustered looking redhead in a forest green nightgown. "Althea says there's been a mistake." The Princess spoke as she flung open the door and caught herself on the frame as her momentum threatened to topple her forward. Dawn's eyes locked onto the slender, oddly dressed girl in between her and the wispy Sereno. "And clearly _something's_ gone wrong somewhere."

"You think so?" The man asked with a cock of his head.

Dawn sighed, "So what happened?" Before the male could open his mouth again, Coraline decided to speak for herself since the matter directly concerned her. After recounting the significant events that led up to her accidental transporting Coraline watched as the princess nodded and her friend seemed to relax.

"So it wasn't something I did," the brunette sighed in relief. Her sense of guilt was clearing swiftly now. "I am really sorry for your situation, though," she offered, looking at Coraline. The blue-haired girl in question quirked an eyebrow. "The enchanting hour is passed over here. For that level of power you need all kinds of energies to be aligned and such...the next full moon is going to be another thirty days." Upon seeing the girl's face pale she added "If I were going to be the one to send you back, you'd have to wait till the next solstice—in winter!"

"So I'm stuck here!" Coraline's voice was at a pitch of panic.

"Just for a month." Dawn said soothingly. She was currently deciding how she was going to tell her adopted mother, the Queen, of this relatively awkward situation.

Coraline reasoned this information out. A month wouldn't be too bad, it wasn't as if she was now permanently stuck this side of reality. She remembered what her formerly feline friend had been saying about the different flows of time and decided to voice a different concern, "How much time will have passed on Earth during all this?"

The red-head and her friend shared a glance as if exchanging a thought and then Dawn looked back at her with a shrug, "A single month here...uhm, _about_ ten to fifteen seconds there."

The foreigner suddenly beamed; that wasn't bad at all! "Really? Not even a whole minute?" She would get to spend time in a castle in an alternate dimension that wasn't really a spider's web in disguise and no one back home would even have to know she'd been gone? Things might not be bad after all!

"We'll tell Queenie about this come the morning," the princess said with a nod. "Now the question is where are you going to stay?" She was looking at Sereno as she said this. "We could easily get you a bedroom tomorrow. Right now it's late, I'm sleepy, and proper edict can take a break for just one night. Would you mind sharing a room with this guy? You've known him for a while, right? It'll be less awkward that way."

Coraline was surprised at the quickness the young woman came to this decision but nodded her agreement. If she was going to be staying here she would rather be with someone she actually knew. "Good!" The red-head said in half-hearted cheerfulness. She was a morning person and as the minutes clicked by the more ready she was to just walk away from the situation. With the matter more or less settled she realized there was nothing stopping her. "Okay then, come on 'e-ah, let's go to bed." She said tugging on her friend's sleeve and bowing her head in the direction of Sereno and his unexpected guest.

Once the two girls were gone and the door shut after them Coraline turned her attention to Sereno, who was taking off his formal shirt and heading back towards the bathroom. "What are you doing?" She asked him, now at a loss for what she was expected to do.

"One's own tongue just doesn't do the same kind of justice to bathing as does hot water and soap. It's been a while since I've had the pleasure of either so before calling it quits for the night I'm going to take advantage of the marvelous invention called the tub." He answered her over his shoulder. "If you want, you can see if there's anything that will fit you in the wardrobe over there." He was planing to just change back into the borrowed loungers he had been wearing. They were not over all flattering but they were clean and they were comfortable.

Coraline stood in the center of the room for a moment longer until the sound of water reached her ears. Her heart was fluttering and she felt her cheeks begin to redden. She had never had to share a room with a grown man before... that, coupled with the surreal kind of awkwardness that accompanies most people when they find themselves staying the night in someone else's home for the first time, made her feet feel heavy. She looked around the warmly colored room again before walking over to the large wooden wardrobe. She was curious, and he had given her permission. She turned the handles and pulled open the double doors.

Most of the shirts and tunics were cotton with only a few silks here and there; one velvet top lay pushed in the very back. She smirked, letting the clothes help distract her, "Bet I couldn't guess his favorite colors." She said to herself sarcastically as she went one by one past light browns, dark browns, reds and whites. "With that hair and those eyes, I bet he would look really good in black though." She mused aloud.

Her hand caught on a soft white cloth and she laughed as she pulled it out for better inspection. "Oh my gah! Is this a nightgown? This is totally a nightgown!" The material was very light to the touch and when she held it at full length it reached far past her knees. Its long sleeves were trimmed with ruffles and transparent buttons started at the neck and trailed down to mid chest. "It's just like in movies of the old-timey days!" She looked over at the still closed bathroom door and realized that only about three minutes had passed.

"Cuuute." She pulled off her sneakers and walked around to the side of the wardrobe so that it would be between her and him were he to suddenly exit.

She lay all the clothes from her world in a neatly crumpled pile beside the freestanding closet and walked over to the cherry red canopy bed. The comforter was plush and she felt herself sink ever so slightly into the soft mattress below it. She ran her hand across the surface of the blanket and wondered at the fact that it was dustless. In fact, it was as he had said, 100 years and yet everything looked ageless!

She crossed her legs, having to pull the fabric of the borrowed nightgown down over her knees and then locked her eyes across from her at the motionless bathroom door. She breathed in deeply, the air felt dryer here and this room in particular smelt like... she sniffed harder and was reminded of the underlying sent of Ms. Spink and Forcible's apartment– the smell of herbs and tea that could be caught in whiffs beyond the odor of terrier and perfume.

At the reminder of the two theatrical elder ladies a pang of homesickness touched her chest. Her eyes had never left door and she began to wonder about the man that lie behind it. She had known him for six years but for all that didn't know a single thing that mattered. He was a very calm individual, had helped her when she faced off the Other Mother, his first name was Sereno, and he was magick. She shrugged her shoulders, it was a start. She was comforted in the fact that it would only be him with her in the room tonight, and by the memories of all the nights they had shared a bed before—though never under these circumstances.

She sighed and then slapped her fist into the exposed palm of her other hand in a manner of resolution. Coraline Jones was nothing if not adaptable. She could accept this unusual predicament and she would make the best of it. She had faced worse in the past, she decided. Her mind refocused as she heard the click of the handle turning and Sereno reentered the room, trailed by steam. His hair was wet and matted against his head, his torn ear exposed now that his tresses were lying flat. He was shirtless again, back to wearing the red-plaid, flannel pants of her father's.

"I can't believe you're wearing that ugly old thing." He commented with a smile. "Looks good on you though, I could never hope to pull it off." He looked her over carefully and at the bed that she sat on. Clearly, he was sharing her thoughts to an extent. Walking over to her he snatched up one of the three pillows that rested at the head of the mattress and motioned for her to get up.

Coraline stood and watched him in confusion as he pulled off the comforter and tugged up the black sheet underneath it. He tossed the pillow and the sheet to the floor and whipped the top cover back onto the bed. "There you go." He said, motioning that she should go ahead and get back up where she was.

She tilted her head to the side, "Huh? You're sleeping on the floor?" She felt kind of bad, it was his bed after all.

"Yes, it seems only proper now." He smirked, "Besides, I like my carpet." He assured her jokingly. He could easily tell that she would have otherwise felt somehow compromised; he recalled her reaction the other day when she'd first learned he wasn't really a cat. It was best to give the girl her space and it was only polite that he let her have the bed. In truth, he didn't mind the carpet; it was better than hardwood and far preferred over sleeping outside.

Coraline got back into the bed, this time going under the covers, and maneuvered her way over to the edge to look down at Sereno who was fluffing his checkered red and black pillow. He shook his bangs out of his eyes then rolled over, "You'll be fine." He assured her for the first time since they'd arrived.

"Yeah, I'm sure I will." She replied. She was still for a moment, "Aren't you going to turn off the lights?"

"They go off on their own once you start to relax and most movement in the room stops." He answered.

"Oh." She rolled over and looked up at the red covering above her. "One month." She muttered as she shut her eyes. Thirty days... 'Yeah,' She resolved once more, 'I can handle it.' The lights slowly began to dim and she snuggled down into the bedding, tucking her arm up under the pillow and breathing into it deeply. It smelled nice, clean and vaguely like plants. Sereno's breathing from beside the bed was comforting. In a moment the light was completely off and the only illumination came from the moon trickling in through the red curtains. Sleep took her easily.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter Three**

A soft but persistent light was what woke her. Coraline blinked the clouds from her vision as she lie on her side facing the windowed wall of the foreign room. The morning sun peeked through the thick crimson material of the curtain and with the way the light struck them, the olive colored vines that traced the cloth looked golden. 'Pretty,' she thought wishing that there was a breeze to sway them for effect.

She was very comfortable beneath the cozy blanket. The air still had enough morning chill to it that she wasn't hot but her feet in particular were warm. Curious, she raised herself up on her elbow and looked down to the end of the bed. Cocooned in the black sheet he had taken for himself and lying flat on his back horizontal across the mattress was Sereno, his face tilted towards her. His eyes were sleepily half lidded and she wondered if he was awake or if that was how he slept.

"I thought you said you liked your carpet." Coraline said teasingly after his blinking alerted her to his awareness.

"Yes, I do. But, we've decided that we're just friends and after coming to the conclusion that our relationship wouldn't mean anything more than that I just didn't feel right sleeping with it." He said, his voice still thick from sleep but his mind apparently clear enough to start in with the sarcasm. He had lasted a full three hours before his creaking joints made it clear that they would no longer be his friend if he left them to lie on the flat, unrelenting floor. Coraline hadn't even stirred when he climbed up to join her on the soft mattress.

She nudged his side with her foot from beneath the blanket playfully and smirked, "Smart-aleck." Coraline was feeling much better after a good night's sleep and was wondering if Sereno felt the same. Today was a new day and—not that she'd been particularly distressed last night—she felt that she could now better handle herself in this alternate world.

The man just smiled as he forced himself to sit up and stretched his arm above him sending off a series of pops and cracks before doing the same to the other limb. "I'm afraid you are going to have to wear your same clothes for now." He told her over his shoulder after he'd made it to his feet.

Coraline jumped up, her bladder reminding her of her morning ritual. She rushed in front of the raven-haired man and pointed to the door ahead of them, "This is your bathroom right? Does it have a toilet and everything?" After seeing the fashions the people here sported, she was hoping against all hope that the plumbing wasn't stuck in the early 1700's too.

Sereno seemed to know instinctively what she was thinking and gave a curt nod, "Yeah, just dump the chamberpot out the side window when you're finished with it." He chuckled and ruffled her hair at the look of absolute horror staining her features. "I'm joking, I'm joking!"

She was too relieved to be put off at his teasing and hurried behind the wooden door to do her business. The toilet was a bit antique looking though, one of those thin backed seats with a long handle and string extending away from the bowl. The place had running water, though, and that was more than she could ask for at the moment—it didn't take a lot to make her happy.

Coraline traded rooms with Sereno a few minutes later and the two quickly changed clothes. He was wearing the same outfit he'd dawned for a few minutes the night before and she was back in her trendy mismatched but _comfortable_ shorts and tye-dye. They were going to find Princess Dawn first, he had informed her. Chances were good that she had already been up for a few hours and had speedily informed the Queen.

"So, Morgana? Is she like, Queen of this world then? Or is the land still divided into different countries?" The teen asked as they made their way back through the halls, which in the morning light seemed a whole different world. Coraline smiled to herself; she had been right, the halls were more impressive in daylight.

"The latter." Sereno answered her, stepping closer to her to let an elvish maid pass by him. Unlike their first time through, the halls now had a feeling of life and every few intersections there was a chance of coming across someone different. "You are currently a visitor of the Elvish kingdom, Thistle Edge." He told her.

"You're not an elf though." Coraline pointed out, looking again at his ears, her eyes involuntarily lingering on the one that was missing a chunk.

"Like any country, it's not simply made up of just one type of people. After living in America of all places, I'd have thought that you'd well know that. Princess Dawn herself is a mage, and her friend that was with her last night, Althea, she's a Naiad. But, yes, the general population is mainly Elvish." He said with a nod.

He put a hand to her back to tell her wordlessly which way to turn and before long the two were stopping to ask about the princess's whereabouts. The tall, silver-haired elf Sereno had stopped seemed to be yet another close acquaintance of his and from him they learned that Dawn was outside enjoying nature; or has he specifically put it, "Off prancing about in the godforsaken woods again."

Sereno chuckled and wished him luck, knowing it would inevitably be his job to go and check on her wellbeing shortly. As they walked away from the slightly ruffled elf he turned to Coraline, "Remember the guy we bumped into last night? Ralston? That was his older brother back there, Marion."

"Really?" Coraline looked back over her shoulder but the silver-headed elf had already gone from eyesight. "That's interesting." She commented, turning her attention back ahead of her again. "So, what now? Are we just going to go straight to the queen then?"

"Yes, actually," the man replied with a slight shrug of his shoulders. He could only suppose that the princess had informed her majesty of the circumstances before going off to do lord knew what. If not, well, it wouldn't take much for him to do it himself.

Sometimes he wondered about the flippant nature of the queen's adopted daughter, but he wouldn't be the first. As if to prove something, the princess surprised them.

Coming up the brightly lit hallway to greet them was the cheerful red-head herself, clothed in a cyan and pine colored dress. "You ready to go see Queenie?" She asked with a smile as she came to a stop in front of them.

Coraline chuckled a little, "I thought you were out walking in the woods?" The princess looked about the same age as her, and had about the same amount of manic energy she herself could reach if she'd been given coffee. The blue-haired girl swiftly decided that she would either get along exceptionally well with this girl or resent her resemblance in nature.

"Marion is going to be looking for you," Sereno told the young mage with a shake of his head. The three began to walk again, Dawn leading the way.

"Well, he'll soon find out where I'm not." There was a teasing in her voice as she thought about the look that would be on her guard's face.

"You torment that man." The blue-eyed male commented, although he couldn't hide the smirk on his features.

"Ah, he loves me," the princess assured. "Anyway, before my walk this morning I informed mother of the situation. She wishes to greet and evaluate you."

"Evaluate?" Coraline felt herself becoming a little nervous at the thought. Would there be some kind of weird test? What exactly happened if Morgana didn't like her for some reason? She tugged on Sereno's white long sleeve, "Should I be worried?"

The man smiled and shook his head, "No." He had known her long enough to know the hyperactive tendency of her imagination. She was probably envisioning some grand woman with a needlessly poofy collar that with a booming voice would send her to a guillotine for some imagined fault. Well, perhaps she wasn't that eccentric anymore.

In reality, Coraline was envisioning the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland, only in this version the woman had elf ears. She was about to be proven vastly incorrect as the princess halted them outside of a pair large and intricately embellished double doors. Two emotionless sentinels dressed in simple navy and red uniforms stood on either side of the entrance and Dawn walked over to the closest of them to speak their business.

The foreign teen was fighting against the childlike impulse to hold onto Sereno's arm. She was reasonably nervous and was clenching and unclenching her hands in an effort to rid herself of excess energy. 'She can't be anything like the Other Mother. Everyone has been nice enough and this is a beautiful castle... so she herself must be a good ruler. No reason to be worried, look, the cat isn't worried.' Sereno in question brought a hand between her shoulder blades and patted her back encouragingly, it was easy for him to read her anxiety.

The hazel-eyed mage motioned for them to follow her and the two elves standing guard opened the doors for them. The sight beyond caused Coraline's breath to catch in a gasp.

Like any good fantasy movie had ever depicted, tall columns—these carved with a pattern of vines and flames—lined either side of the room with large tapestries of red, gold, purple and orange hanging above the ivory pathway they made. The fabric was strung from a ceiling that was comprised almost entirely of glass which shimmered gloriously in the early morning sun.

Walking between the white columns, away from a high placed throne at the opposite end of the chamber, was a tall and lean female dressed in a dark violet, floor-length gown that complemented her waist long onyx braid and dark slate eyes.

"Hello, human," she said, her voice light but strangely rich, "this is quite an interesting situation you have found yourself in."

The Elven woman had crossed the room at a leisurely pace and was now standing directly in front of Coraline. She circled the human with a glint in her eyes that bespoke of curiosity with a dainty hand cupping her chin in contemplation. "It's rare to ever have anyone from Earth over here."

"It was quite by accident," Coraline assured while holding up her hands at chest height in a sort of surrender.

"Really?" The word was full of interest, and bereft of mock. "That's different. All the last cases were because someone from here had fallen in love over there and brought their partner back with them to live." She chuckled lightly at the look of matching distaste that crossed over Sereno and Coraline's faces. "I see, I see," she was still grinning, "well, this is a good thing. Humans are not really regarded with much esteem by a good number of beings here on Rahet; it will make your life easier to be wanting to return."

Coraline flinched uncomfortably, "Does this mean I'm going to be getting a lot of dirty looks or something?" She felt her stomach tighten at the idea. 'Greeaaat, that would be just what I'd need.'

"Not in my castle you won't." Morgana spoke with authority. "I see no sense in the prejudice, the royal Seer herself is a human," the queen's features didn't lighten as she continued, "but if ever we have company from another kingdom I want you to try and remain out of sight, okay? You will be informed of anyone's arrival time in advance, don't worry."

She brought her black eyes to Sereno, "Your new assignment will be to assure her accommodation and safety." She told him with an air of finality. Then she looked back at the teen, more specifically, the clothes she wore. "You're going to be here for some time...would you like clothes made for you in the style of your world or shall you settle for our fashion?"

Coraline looked down at the tank-top and green denim that she wore then to the princess to her right and then back at the queen, comparing their attire to her own. As much as she prized her uniqueness, there would be all her life to wear "Earth" clothes when she got back, and there was still a little girl within her that relished the idea of going around in pretty dresses. "Yours!"

Morgana smiled, seeming to understand the train of thought behind the girl's enthusiasm. "Dawn will take you by the seamstresses for your measurements and by the end of the night you'll have a few articles to choose from. Onto the next matter, would you like a room near Sereno?"

Coraline glanced at the man beside her but realized the question was directed at her alone, "Yes please," she answered after only a brief pause. He wouldn't mind, she figured, and he was the only friend she had in this world as of yet. She was glad to have been given the option to be in the same corridor as him, she would have felt rather awkward having to learn her way around nothing but strangers.

"What are you favorite colors?" Dawn asked, speaking for the first time since they'd entered.

"Any color, I like them all," she answered brightly, "But if I had to be specific, I like yellows, greens, and purples." The princess nodded and then Coraline shifted her gaze back to Morgana wondering what was suppose to happen next.

The older woman smiled in comprehension, "I'm sure Dawn would love to give you the grand tour and get you set up with those measurements. Sereno has a debriefing to complete so he'll have catch up with you two later." The princess curtsied at the command and Coraline followed her lead, it was awkward without the flourish a dress would have offered but the teen didn't too much care. One didn't get by comfortably in life by wondering how silly other people thought you were.

* * *

They were nearing the end of the tour, and Coraline had decided that she did indeed like Dawn. At first the mage seemed to be a little overwhelming but the human soon discovered that the princess had an easy going side to her that compensated energy for witticism. The talk between them had become comfortable and before long Coraline was mentally congratulating herself for making friend number two in this world.

Along the way the two had met up with Dawn's close friends, the breezy naiad from the night before, Althea, and the Royal Seer, Tamara. Tamara was the younger sister of Ralston and Marion, Coraline was informed, and had shoulder length brown curly hair and clear white jewels pierced around her eyes. These two joined them on their walk around the castle and were all too happy to engage the foreigner in conversation.

The castle itself looked wonderful both outside and in. Sight after sight had left left Coraline momentarily speechless. A beautiful garden surrounded it on either side, fountains carved to look like creatures she'd only seen in children's books—one of which flowed with fire instead of water—and the countless details built into the actual masonry was astounding. "This place is amazing," she whispered aloud as the four of them made their way towards the back of the castle; her new friends were beaming in pride, it was always a pleasure when someone complimented your home. "Where are we going now?"

"To get you some new clothes, or at least start the process of getting you new clothes." The princess answered while pushing open a plain door that led down a short, undecorated passage that took them to the common area of the castle. Here were the basic needs met in orderly and well provided for conditions. They traveled through the kitchens and into the textile section where bright colors greeted their eyes as soon as they entered; spindles busy with string, looms laced with the entire spectrum of refracted light, along with bundles of silks, cotton, and other cloths.

"Miss Argrace! Are you in here?" Dawn called out cheerfully as she waded her way into the organized chaos. A few seamstresses bowed with a smile as the princess worked deeper into their domain. "Miss. Argrace?" The woman she was seeking out was her personal sewer, a wispy old lady who's sharp eye for needlework was reputed throughout the kingdom.

"That you D?" Came a sharp voice from behind a pile of orange. The girls circled it and found an elderly elf on the other side digging through a box on the half covered desk she stood beside. "Please tell me its not another thing needs mending due to your carelessness." Her voice was exasperated but not angry.

"Nope! We need some clothes for our newest guest. She's going to be here for a few weeks," the red-head answered, pushing Coraline forward gently. The wizened, white haired elf looked the teen over and then out of nowhere sniffed her.

"Human, huh?" She looked behind the blue haired girl to Tamara who stood back a little ways with Althea. "Is she kin of yours?"

"No, Miss Argrace." The curly-haired girl answered politely. She smiled at Coraline's confused expression then nodded to the girl that she should turn her attention back to the seamstress.

"Don't suppose it matters anyway." The woman said, beckoning the new comer to step closer to her and pulling out a long measuring tape from the box she had previously been digging in- having to shake off a pair of scissors that had looped themselves around it due to sloppy storage. "Any requests deary?" She asked while looping the tape around Coraline's narrow waist and writing the figure down on a pad of paper that lie ruffled beside the box.

"Not really. I'd be happy with just about anything." Coraline answered as she was instructed to hold one end of the tape as Miss. Argrace took the other down to ground level and noted the measure.

"Ha! I like you already, child. Easy to please, that's the best ones. Not like this rascal here," she waved a hand at Dawn, "Green, green, green. Brown, tan, no pink, no maroon." She chuckled and then wrote what else was needed. She looked at her closely, taking in hair and eye color. "You would look good in blues," she told her, "work with that pretty hair."

"Or yellow!" The human voiced cheerfully, picking up the measuring tape where it had slid to the floor by accident.

"You like yellow huh?" She thought about it, "I suppose it would complement it rather well. Unlike the concoction you've got on at the moment," she said like a disapproving grandparent.

Coraline pursed her lips, she liked the "concoction" she had on, but she held her tongue. She lived with enough old people to know that it was hard to sway them once they had an opinion of something. "Alright girls, go on now, I need to get to work. I'll have you some nice things cooked up before the night is through, I might even throw in a pretty formal gown," The elder elf was shooing them on and with a kind word the small group was off.

"So what do you want to do now?" Althea asked as they backtracked through the threads and cloth.

"Coraline's room is finished." Tamara stated with certainty and as means of suggestion for an answer to her friend's question. The girls were back in the less bustling side of the castle now. Dawn nodded to the shorter girl, going to look at the new room would kill some time.

"Wait, how do you know it's done?" Coraline asked, a little confused.

"Just a feeling." The jeweled eyed teen answered simply. "I'm a clairvoyant, remember? Sometimes it manifests in really pointless ways."

Coraline nodded slowly. That made sense, she guessed. Then something the seamstress had said came back to her suddenly, "That lady called you human, and so did the Queen earlier... but I thought your brothers were Marion and Ralston? They're elves though."

Althea put a hand on the visitor's shoulder, "It's best not to ask." Some things just weren't talked about between the three friends. Coraline thought about this statement before nodding her understanding. She supposed maybe it implied that people over here weren't perfect either, the tone the taller girl had spoken in suggested that it wasn't just some birth defect that caused Tamara to be different from her siblings.

Involuntarily, a small silence had fallen after that. Coraline swiftly decided that it was one of those awkward and unnecessary silences and chose to remedy it, "So, any guesses to what my room will look like?"

"I'm going to guess...yellow," Dawn commented, happily following the other girl's lead. "You did say you liked that color earlier."

Coraline was surprised, "So they repaint a whole room and everything?"

The other girls laughed, "No, they create it from scratch! It's pretty cool actually," Althea told her as she tucked her long brown hair behind her ear. Coraline looked at them incredulously, thinking that they must be being sarcastic. But then, she'd seen stranger, and after looking each over in turn and seeing no smug deception she decided to believe them.

"Wow," was all she could say. They made their way slowly towards the far side of the massive building to where some of the private rooms were located. Things were beginning to look familiar to Coraline and soon they were in the hallway she remembered was Sereno's. There was a pale lavender door beside his on the right hand side now, one she knew was not there previously. 'Huh, they really weren't lying.' Excited, she swiftly turned the handle and the group filed in.

The walls were a light lavender and the floors carpeted in a cool gray with a violet ottoman at the foot of her own canopy bed. The covers were cream as were some of the pillows while the others were a light grass-green that went along with the color of the long hanging canopy. Her furniture matched Sereno's in design, although hers was a bronze colored cherry-wood in place of his white ash. "Wow," She said again, lamely. Somehow she had expected a carbon-copy of her raven-haired friend's. She was very pleasantly surprised to find it otherwise, the only similarity was the layout which was actually symmetrically opposite of the man's.

"Interesting color scheme." Althea commented walking over to the dresser that rested between the grass-green curtained windows which were trimmed in the same violet of the ottoman. "They've still managed to tone down the shades to match the earthy theme of this castle. Like this olive-y green," She was running a hand over one curtain and letting in some of the light, it sparkled off her white dress like it would a pearl.

"It's so pretty!" Coraline said while crossing the carpet over to the canopy bed and plopping onto the cream sheets. "Looks far more sophisticated than I myself really am," she joked. The air in this room had the same scent she had distinguished the night before, she breathed deeply and this time when she thought on it, it seemed like a mix of tea leaves and sandalwood.

"Glad you like it," Tamara said with a smile as she seated herself lightly on the ottoman, her blue dress fanning out over it. "Is it anything how what your room on Earth looks like?"

"Not even close," The blue haired girl said with a chuckle. "I mean, I like my other room fine, but it looks poor in comparison; how could it not? This is a friggin' castle for crying out loud!" She was smiling as she ran her hands over the soft fabric of the pillows, the green ones were made of velvet.

"Would you like some stuff to decorate your walls? Its only going to be a month but, a clock and mirror might be nice," Dawn offered from where she leaned comfortably in the door frame.

"Sure!" She wasn't going to turn down something so mundane, they'd already given her this nice room, she didn't think a mirror or clock would be imposing.

"What time is it now, anyway?" Althea asked, coming back away from the window and towards the red-head in the doorway. It had to be near time to eat, the naiad was thinking to herself.

"Twelve minutes past five." Tamara said with a bat of her lashes. No one questioned this time.

"Dinner is at six, Coraline," Dawn stated, being reminded of the time made her recall to tell the girl. "You'll be eating with us, and perhaps you'll have a nice dress by then. I think your outfit is adorable, but some of the old prudes who will be dining with us won't think as highly of this particular Earth fashion as I." The girl shrugged as if to say, 'but what can you do,' and then said, "If you don't have one ready by then, you can borrow one of ours, probably mine."

"Uh, thanks." The human managed. They all looked like they were about to leave and she wondered what she was going to do now, because it didn't seem like she was being called to follow them again. "Will someone be coming to get me when it's time? I don't think I'll remember the way otherwise."

"You can come with Sereno, or I could stop by to get you." Althea offered cheerfully. "I only live the next hall over from here. After dinner I can show you my room if you like!"

"Okay then! So Sereno eats with you guys too?" She could surmise that he wasn't royalty so she wondered if this was a more lax meal they were going to or if everyone was invited or-

"Morgana likes it when guests and those of high rank or the people on familiar ground with her join her at meal times. She doesn't like to feel as if there is some huge barrier between her and her people." The princess explained, "And she and Sereno happen to know each other quite well, along with the Narda siblings and Althea."

"I see. I guess I'll walk with him then." She said and with that her new friends took their leave, not before Tamara got in one last word with her strange talent though.

"Be sure to knock."

"Huh?"

"Not sure, just suddenly felt the need to tell you that." And that was the note she left her on.

Coraline shut her door back and looked around her room again, making her way over to the rich brown colored wardrobe and opening it out of curiosity. Naturally, it was empty. It was then that beside the freestanding closet she saw a door, not having noticed it before because of the large piece of furniture between it and the entrance. Could this have been what the Seer was talking about? Without hesitation she knocked on it. "What?" Came a distinctly male voice from the other side.

"Sereno?!" Why would their rooms be directly connect? It took a moment but then it clicked, there was a bathroom between them.

"Yes?" The word seemed slightly distracted.

"Never-mind!" She didn't have to go, she'd just been curious. She walked back over to her bed and sat down, "Didn't know they'd mean it so literally when they said 'near Sereno's'." She said aloud before lying back and starring up at the green canopy overhead. So, what now? Maybe along with a mirror and clock she could ask for some books too. Did they write in English? She understood everyone so far when they spoke but did that mean it was what they wrote in? Was she magically speaking their language and just didn't know it? What kind of books would they have? Surely not Shakespeare...

A knock from the bathroom door broke her runaway train of thought and she sat up. "Come in?" It felt weird saying that facing the bathroom rather than the hallway door.

The blue-eyed man opened the door and took a single step in, looking the place over curiously. "I see they didn't get too creative. How surprising," he sounded anything but.

Coraline snickered, "Well, I like it." For whatever reason he might have found it monotonous she saw it as the complete opposite. "It's a huge leap from my room back in the Pink Palace." She said with a grin.

The man smiled and nodded, "I didn't mean to sound like I thought that it wasn't nice," he looked amused, "and as long as you like it that's all that matters. Really, they can be as repetitive as they want to, it just makes it feel all the more like home for me." He saw her nod and then he asked, "So, how was your day?"

"Eventful. I think I've got three new friends," she told him with a shrug.

"The princess and her tag-alongs? Yeah, I figured it wouldn't take long for you to warm up to them." He crossed one leg over the other and leaned against the wall, "Did they talk your ear off?"

"Ha! Wybie could put them all to shame," there was a hint of pride in her voice at the mention of her first real friend since Michigan. Sereno laughed and then nodded his complete agreement.

"On another note... I've some questions for you." With that the girl began a long conversation on culture, magick, and other things that had come to mind during the course of the day. Sereno ended up spending the rest of his free time before dinner filling her in on all that she asked as it concerned his world.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

"Yellow?" Sereno questioned playfully. "Reminds me of the time we first met, you and that flamboyant raincoat of yours." He watched in amusement as she scanned her reflection in the full-length mirror Dawn had brought for her when she had arrived with the dress that Coraline was now wearing. The gown was a simple thing: figure-hugging until it reached the hips, dipped fashionably low in back, and with long wing like sleeves.

"I like yellow." She spun around once more before hurrying over to the man waiting on her. "I feel like a princess! Although, it seems weird using that analogy now that I've actually met one."

Sereno chuckled, "Oh no, don't let Dawn ruin your perception of what a princess is. She might not be the best example." He offered her his arm and she'd seen enough movies to know what to do with it. They weren't late yet, but they were far from early.

"I think fairy-tales would be a lot more interesting if princesses acted like her though," she couldn't hide the smile in her voice.

"I'm sure the Grimm Brothers just rolled in their grave," he answered sardonically. They were out of his hallway now and heading downstairs. It felt strange seeing her so immersed in his world after having only known her in hers for so long. She'd had so much she wanted to talk about concerning this realm and six o'clock had come sooner than either had expected.

A flash of air burst past them suddenly, causing both to grab for the railing. "What was that!?" Coraline's voice was flustered, she wasn't the most coordinated of people, you didn't mess with her when she was concentrating on navigating a flight of steps—especially in a dress of all things! She heard the sounds of footfalls and coming up from behind the bend of the stairwell was Althea, she looked relieved upon seeing them. "Was that you just now?" The human girl asked her in astonishment.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Whew! I thought I was going to be the only one late." The older female was in a dark maroon dress now, sleeveless with purposely placed wrinkles going down the chest—a complete change from the simple white gown tied at the waist that she had been wearing earlier.

"How did you do that? It was like I didn't even see you, you were moving so fast!" Coraline had been left in bewilderment.

The other girl shrugged, "My element is air, I sometimes borrow from it's attributes."

"We're not late." Sereno said, bringing the conversation back to what Althea had mentioned moments before. They had continued walking by this point, Althea falling in step with them and the passageway was wide enough to accompany the three abreast.

"Yeeeah, I think we are," the naiad said with an apologetic glance at the man. "But, the more the better! I know from experience that it's easier to be with other people when you make your awkward entrance and they all turn to look at you wearily."

"Aren't you just the optimist?" Sereno sighed, determining to quicken his pace a bit. They exited the stairwell and made their way through the maze of halls until they reached the wide, warm colored room that served as a dining area. Sadly, the naiad had been correct and Coraline involuntarily tightened her grip on her escort's arm as all eyes turned as one to greet them.

"Sorry!" The brunette's tone was bright and the other girl was glad that Althea had chosen to be the one to break the ice. The three walked over to the long table that seated eight people already—five of which Coraline knew by name already—and took the empty seats that were waiting for them. To their luck, they weren't too late, and no one had eaten yet out of courtesy.

Coraline felt herself blush. It seemed worse to her that everyone had waited rather than helped themselves. She looked around the table and realized no one seemed to be really interested in the food to begin with. Most eyes were on her, and her alone. She smiled nervously, did one say 'hi' or 'sorry' in a situation like this?

She was saved as Morgana stood and at her movement all eyes defaulted to the head of the table. "I would like you all to meet Coraline Jones. She will be our guest until the next full moon so please make her feel welcome until then." She seated herself again and the atmosphere felt much lighter.

The teen waited patiently for most of the other people to get a good amount of food on their plates before reaching forward herself and taking a few things: a roll, some peas, and a thick slice of ham to start with. Across from her sat the blonde, that she'd met last night, Ralston. He grinned at her friendlily, "So, what do you make of our humble abode?" Most people were holding their own conversations by the time the tall elf chose to speak and this helped to dispel any feelings of being put on the spot for the visiting teen.

"It's beautiful. Very impressive, like something out of fantasy," she answered. 'It helps that no one seems to be acting very regal and abrasive though,' she added to herself privately. She always imagined that the people who could live so richly in a place like this would be worlds apart form her and completely unreadable. So far, however, everyone she had come into contact with had been really nice—despite the fact that they were a world apart from her, literally.

The light haired elf nodded merrily and took a bite of potato before continuing, "So how is Earth these days?" He asked her in a nonchalant manner.

"What do you mean? I guess... it's nice? Rather boring I would think. At least, the part I come from." Coraline answered uncertainly. She tasted the ham quickly and immediately wanted to take another bite, the honey glaze was better than anything her parent's usually made.

"Last time I was there the whole place was in a ruckus. In fact, it was to try and put out some of the fires that I and my few companions were there to begin with. A little clean up in London then straight to weaving despair into that instigator Adolf's mind. We didn't have much to do in the ways of actually stopping his forces, by the time we hit the scene it was almost over." His ears perked cheerfully at the reaction his narration was being given from across the table, Coraline looked down right stupefied.

"The last time you went to Earth was World War Two?!" Her grin was wide, "And you talked Hitler into killing himself?!" She found it captivating that someone who looked so young as this man had been a part of something that had happened far before she had even been born.

"Well, no, he did that of his own violation. We just fueled his sense of hopelessness as a means of quickening the end of the fighting. That stubborn old bird, had our efforts not been made, probably would have tried to kill everyone in his entire country before admitting defeat." He chuckled at the dismal memory with a kind of detached amusement. "I'm sure his troops would have turned against him before too long but it was best to speed things up as much as possible."

Coraline looked at him speculatively, "So... mind control or something?" The thought mildly unnerved her. If they had mind freaked Hitler what could they do to her?

"No, not mind control per se. Subconscious suggestion. People with the talent try not to use it very often on the grounds of moral sensitivity, but that dictator was an exception." He had caught the look on her face and quickly tried to dispel concerns, "Besides, Hitler was an eccentric and paranoid individual who hadn't quite been right in the head for some time, this made him an easy target for suggestion."

The blue-haired girl's expression brightened, "Oh, so like Jedi mind tricks! 'The Force can have a strong influence on the weak-minded'," she quoted in a deep voice and serious expression. To her left Sereno put his palm to his forehead. She did not just quote Star Wars... He knew what she was referring to because he had paid attention too while Wybourne watched all the movies not two years earlier.

Ralston let out a booming laugh, "What are you talking about?"

"She was referring to a motion-picture." The raven-haired man beside the girl answered, he couldn't help but chuckle too. He was all too aware that they were being watched and listened to. Coraline might not suspect anything but she had an audience. He felt a little protective for his friend as a result and didn't want her embarrassed, "A rather good film to be honest. And yes, Coraline, that is more or less how it works."

Coraline blushed lightly and took another bite from her ham, deciding to talk a little less."Fascinating," she said after swallowing. "So, with Sereno it was the Beldman, for you it was Hitler? Do people from here often work as behind the scene peace keepers?"

"In a way," This time it was the silver-headed Marion that had spoken. He couldn't help but find himself curious over the girl, she was taking everything completely in stride, it seemed. As if this kind of experience was normal to her. He also felt called to stem his younger brother's control of the conversation. "Are you familiar with the tale of the Chupacabra?" Marion asked her and when he received her nod of affirmation continued with a smirk, "I took it out single-handedly." His light brown eyes sparkled in pride at the look she gave him.

"No kidding? Wow." Coraline was impressed, something she found was occurring on a regular basis here. She reached a little ways beyond her plate to a glass of milk that had been preset for her, noticing that everyone had a cup for themselves too. "I helped free the souls of three children trapped by the Beldam and locked her away in her own world. Of course, Sereno helped tremendously. I might have been her next victim if it hadn't been for him." She decided to join in since they were more or less bragging over battle stories. Though, her pride had her omit the little details pertaining to the fact that she had almost been fooled by the Other World.

"You did all that?" The question came from one of the individuals Coraline hadn't met yet, a slightly muscular man who sat beside the Queen. His long auburn hair was tied tightly back and when Coraline met his eyes she saw that they were an unnatural dark red.

"Uh-huh. It all went down about six years ago," the girl answered, taking no small amount of joy at finally getting the chance to astonish them for a change. She didn't notice as Sereno's face blushed beside her and his shoulders slumped forward some. "And it sure wasn't some walk in the park! There were all these wicked looking creatures that I had to get away from. And Sereno got me the last set of eyes! He also blinded the Beldam for me, which I'm sure is the only reason I was able to escape."

"And how old were you when this happened, dear?" The same man asked her, his lips curving upward at Sereno's obvious discomfort.

"Eleven." This sent off a chorus of laughter from the men gathered along with looks of admiration from the three girls she had befriended earlier. Coraline's attention was on the laughing only and her face fell as she interpreted it as disbelief. "I'm serious!" She insisted, feeling more than a little offended. She had nearly lost her life to the encounter!

"Oh, we believe you, Ms. Jones. We're just enjoying the look on your dear friend's face. I don't think he wanted us to know that a mere child did what he on his own could not." The red-eyed man answered.

"I'd like to see you have done any better in my same position, Reynard." Sereno quipped. "May I remind you that I was stuck as a bloody cat?"

"Then why didn't you go as a wolf?" Althea asked with a smile, joining in on the fun. A small snicker sounded from the others present: it was a well known fact among them that the girl had been raised by wolves for a decade of her life when she was extremely younger.

"Oh yes, because that would have been completely maneuverable in the apartment building that witch had chose for her lair," The black-haired man shot back in a dead-pan voice.

"I don't think there would have been a better choice besides a cat." Coraline spoke up in the man's defense. "He's right, a wolf wouldn't have worked. Or any big animal for that matter! The crazy people I know that live there would have shot him in a heartbeat if they'd seen some massive predator lurking around." She was thinking particularly about Mrs. Lovat when she said this—that old lady seemed serious enough to do just about anything. "No one could suspect a cat, and besides, turns out the Beldam hated felines!"

Sereno felt a swell of pride that she had come to his aid—despite the fact that her saving him was the root of this embarrassing conversation. "There you go." He said as a means of dismissing the subject and taking a large and purposeful bite out of his dinner-roll. "Besides, Althea, you're one to talk about smart decisions. Don't try and undermine your own great performance with the whole Atlantis incident."

Another round of chuckles circled the table and the naiad huffed, "That was more than a thousand years ago! And I'm still under the impression that that tidal wave would have hit even if I hadn't been in a horrible mood..."

Coraline's eyes grew wide and she leaned forward to look down the table at Althea, "Oh. My. Gosh! You sunk Atlantis?!"

The other girl shook her head with a surrendering sigh, "Supposedly. But, hey, let's not forget that Dawn here whipped out all of Roanoke that one time."

"Ooh! Low blow, low blow." The Princess said with a small and uncomfortable laugh.

Coraline was laughing full out by this point, "Is there anyone here who hasn't accidentally caused some kind of catastrophe?" Beside her brother Marion, Tamara raised her hand proudly at the foreign teen's question—she was the only one. The blue-headed girl's smile grew wider, "Well that settles it then, no more trying to embarrass one another! Looks like I was getting ahead of myself when I assumed you guys were a peace-keeping force." It was her turn to poke a little fun.

From the head of the table, Morgana was smiling proudly at the girl, "Well said." She was pleased at this young lady's ability to easily adapt and her clear gift for not being shy. She had great potential to be good company. The elven queen disagreed on the general assumption about humans, and if this girl could be seen as any sort of representative for her race, she had the feeling that quite a few minds could be changed on the matter. She wasn't about to push her luck though, it was best Coraline wasn't exposed to the rest of Rahet.

The remainder of the meal passed comfortably and was over in about twenty minutes. Servants came to clear away the table and the people gathered stood and politely dismissed themselves. The men Coraline hadn't yet met introduced themselves before departing. Aside from Reynard—who turned out to be the queen's personal body guard—there were Cordell, someone who seemed to hold as many odd jobs as Sereno; and Bradly, the royal adviser and standing librarian. This time when Coraline curtsied, nothing looked out of place.

On the way back up to their rooms it was just her and Sereno. There lingered a comfortable silence between them for a while but once they entered the stairwell the man spoke up, "I think you made a fairly grand first impression for yourself."

"In a good way or bad way?" She asked. Personally, she thought the dinner had gone great once the conversation had picked up.

"In the good way," he assured with a smirk. He was watching her out of the corner of his eyes as she tom-boyishly held her skirt in one fist to make climbing the steps easier. She was certainly a unique individual. "Also," his conscience was making him say it, "thank you for helping me to save face back there."

Coraline blushed at his unmasked gratitude, "Don't mention it!" She said with a flutter in her voice. "It was nothing." He had helped her out more than a few times in the past, it seemed such a small favor she'd managed to return.

The man smiled and he halted outside her door, "So, would you like to pick up where we left off before we were called away to dinner?" He made the offer for one of two reasons, Coraline was fun to talk to and he had nothing better to do for the rest of the evening.

Her returning grin was answer enough and she practically dragged him into her room. She might have jokingly made the statement before that Wybie could out talk most people, however, she herself was not to be underestimated. Once she was allowed to get going, Coraline could talk you senseless.

She plopped down on her new bed and kicked off her shoes and he joined her after closing the door behind himself. He sat on the corner of her mattress and grinned at how girly she looked in the center, sitting criss-cross with the skirt pooling elegantly around her. She looked older, the fabric accentuating a figure he hadn't even fully realized she possessed, and the setting of the room lending her an air of sophistication. "So..." he ventured while forcing his mind to focus, "where did we leave off?"

"You were explaining some politics. But I have a different question." He nodded that she should continue, "What are you if you're not human?" The question had been eating at her for quite some time now.

Sereno smiled, tempted to see what she'd do if he decided to evade again, but the thought passed, "Well, I was a cat through and through in all but intelligence for the longest of time, but originally and currently, I am a dryad." When he saw the look on her face he knew he had to elaborate, "A type of nymph. Generally associated with oak trees in your world but not limited to one in particular like some once believed."

Coraline tilted her head in interest, "Huh, and here I thought nymphs were only the things that talked to or controlled animals." He chuckled at her comment and shook his head. He stilled when he noticed her serious expression, wondering what she could be thinking so suddenly. It didn't take long for him to find out, "Why is it that some people don't like humans over here?"

He schooled his features into tender concern as he answered, "Like all prejudice, it doesn't make sense." He told her first, then, "They are perceived as weak and greedy. They are often looked down on for what I quote as a, 'presumptuous nature'. Blindly assuming they know and own everything." The dryad shook his head, "As if those qualities are limited only to humans." The contempt in his voice was clear and Coraline felt better. He obviously didn't think like that and she was immensely grateful for it.

"Morgana was saying that I should stay out of sight if someone out of kingdom was visiting, what would happen if I was somehow found out?" She didn't feel completely better, understandably. Her fingers were winding nervously into the yellow, shimmering fabric of her dress as she waited for his answer.

"Probably nothing," he told her with a shrug. "It has been a known fact that Tamara is a human and no one has done anything but snicker. Still, I think the Queen's concerns are that one more would push them. Here in Rahet, there are many power struggles—like I was saying earlier before we left to eat—and rival monarchs are always looking for some form of weakness in their neighbors to justify an attempt at usurping power."

Coraline sighed, "Well, at least I won't be here long, right?" She forced a smile and Sereno returned her one that was more genuine. She was experienced in less than friendly environments; he had faith that she would be fine come what may. He also knew that she wouldn't be unprotected were the worse to happen. Six years with the young lady and he would admit that she'd grown on him and he would be first among her defense.

"I don't think you should worry too much about it," his voice was gentle and his expression calm and confident. "You'll be safe. Now, isn't there anything else you would like to talk about?" He was eager to get off of such weighty subjects.

The thought crossed her mind to ask him about Tamara's background but she felt it wasn't any of her business and the other girls had seemed awkward over the subject, so it would be rude for her to press she decided. Instead, she brought a finger to her chin in a show of contemplation before finally deciding on a different topic, "How old are you?"

The other man put on a mock face of indignation, "Don't you know it's rude to ask the age of your elders?" His voice was light and she could see that he really didn't mind her inquiry.

"Elderly? Good night! You only look about... early to mid twenties." Coraline said reaching over and shoving him lightly in the shoulder. "I mean, I guess I can see it, you did say things moved slower—yet somehow faster?—over here." She was still having a hard time grasping the fact that the time of this realm moved faster while the residents didn't change at near a pace to match Earth time.

The man gave her a wry grin before answering, "I'm 3,562. Oh, don't look at me like that, you walked into this figuring as much."

Coraline's jaw was hanging slack, "I expected old, not ancient!" She was laughing now, "I mean, wow!" Her friend only smiled back, rather enjoying her reaction and oddly comforted by the fact that she didn't seem to mind. He was certain it wasn't everyday one met a human as agreeable as Coraline Jones. He chuckled at her and shook his head at her attempts to tease him, deciding he genuinely enjoyed this opportunity to interact with her in his own body.

From that point on the talk was light hearted between them and the night passed peacefully.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter Five**

Coraline banged on the bathroom door impatiently, "Should I bring you a pillow and cover? You seem to want to camp out in there!" A week had already passed since her transporting and needless to say, she had become quite adjusted to her new surroundings. She had a change of clothes slung over one shoulder and was tapping a foot impatiently as she waited for the bathroom to become vacant. It hadn't taken her long discover that Sereno shared her bad habit of long showers.

"No need to trouble yourself, there are plenty of towels in here to compensate. Thanks for the offer though." The dryad's silky voice drifted tauntingly through the wood.

"You're going to use up all the hot water!" The girl complained with indignation coloring her rather high pitched whine. She threw her arms into the air and spun around from the door in exaggerated offense—almost losing the salmon and pearl trimmed dress she had balancing on her shoulder. In reality, she wasn't particularly mad; she actually liked the verbal spars she found herself getting into with the man and even though he usually won, nothing said or done ever really bothered her. Currently, it was only a matter of inconvenience and she was merely _mildly irritated_.

"One of the many advantages to a magick castle is the fact that you never run out of hot water." Sereno defended himself easily, the water not sounding as if it were letting up.

"If you don't get out soon you're going to start looking your age—all wrinkly and soggy." Coraline was changing tactics.

"Hmm... maybe I'll start a trend. Age does denote wisdom after all." Little did the seventeen-year-old know, Sereno was in fact getting dressed and towel drying his hair as they spoke. He had left the water running just to aggravate her.

The reason she was in a hurry to begin with was because tonight was a special dinner, it was the anniversary of Althea's adoption into Thistle Edge. The naiad herself had explained her origin to Coraline, of how at the age of six she had become separated from her family when a conflict arose in the cottage they were staying in on holiday. A stranger had barged in unannounced and began arguing with her parents and a young Althea, in panic, fled from her room down the hall through a window and ran into the woods behind the property.

Now older, the girl affirms that she wouldn't have done a thing differently. After becoming lost in the pathless trees the six-year-old was discovered sitting on a rock, crying, by a pack of wolves who had already eaten their fill and were more curious of the small creature than aggressive and it was with them that she would spend the next eleven years of her life. Most of the castle's residents blush when they recall how exactly they had became aware of the naiad's presence: she had marched boldly from the trees one day, escorted by two hip-tall, gray wolves, not a trace of clothing and a mind to complain—a local farmer had killed a member of her pack. Her language had never progressed beyond that of a six-year-old and had even _regressed_ from years of disuse. Coraline had laughed aloud when she saw the looks on everyone's faces as they recalled the event.

The blue-haired girl wasn't laughing now as she turned back around to the door to glare at it, as if the wood were Sereno himself. "I don't want to be late! Pl_eeease_?"

"Alright, since you asked so nicely." The older man replied sweetly as he opened the door for her, smiling deviously at the look she gave him after discovering he was completely dressed. She punched him in the arm then shooed him out his own entrance and into his room calling him a few names and slamming the undeserving door in his face. "We still have plenty of time," he felt he owed it to her to try and ease some of the pre-banquet stress.

"You're going to have to help me tie this thing when I'm done, or go get someone who can." Coraline called as she placed said dress on the counter top in front of the large mirror. The water to the semicircle-curtained shower was still running and the girl swiftly stripped then jumped in. The glass bottles holding the soaps and shampoos were on a shelf on the back wall and she right away reached for the long necked, green colored one closest to the faucet and dumped a small puddle of the sweet scented liquid into her palm and began scrubbing her scalp with it.

It only took her seven minutes to shower and three minutes after that found her with her hair wrapped on top of her head in a towel and the dainty fabric of her newest dress slipping dangerously low in front as she tried to hold it up and knock on Sereno's door for assistance. When he opened it she had already spun around and was waiting patently for him to lace her up in back. "It's a good thing they haven't given you very many of these kinds of dresses." The man commented as he deftly worked the silky, pearl colored string through the loops and up towards her exposed shoulders.

"I know right?" She agreed, her voice not giving away the light blush on her face as his hands occasionally stroked her bare skin. She had only ever worn one other like this since she had arrived and this experience was only slightly less embarrassing than the last, though, she did a good job at not letting him know that. "They're so much trouble. Cute, but probably not worth it."

"Hm." Sereno answered neutrally as he tugged for the finishing knot. He was ashamed to admit to himself that he didn't mind the small task at all, going so far as to actually acknowledge that he rather liked the interaction it provided. "This too tight?" He asked, ready to give it slack if needed.

Coraline looked down at her chest and shook her head to answer him, "You could probably make it a little tighter if you needed." As pretty as it was, it was a very low cut design with sleeves that began just after her shoulders and flayed out slightly at the wrists. The last thing she wanted was for it to slip.

The man chuckled, "I don't think I could make it tighter and still allow you to breath." He was aware of her reasoning though, and didn't fault her for it. For her and her modest sense of fashion it was a very revealing piece of clothing. Here, however, she wouldn't look a bit out of place. "By the way, Althea hasn't gone downstairs yet, would you like me to go get her to help you with your hair?"

"Sure!" The answer was a little too quick and it earned her a laugh. She couldn't help it though; this was a world with no electricity, which meant no hair-dryers, but, that didn't mean one always relied on a towel alone. With Althea's element being air she had a nifty little trick she had shown Coraline a few days ago. All it took was three or four really deep breaths and a comb...

"Alright then, wait here and I'll be right back." He told her, giving her departing pat on the shoulder after finishing tying a bow on the back of her dress. She turned to watch him go from the doorway of the bathroom, his black hair already swooping backward as it had long ago been trained into looking. She had convinced him earlier to wear black and thus he did, with a tan shirt vest and red trim. She had been wanting to see him in something other than khaki and white and it only took a little tormenting on her part to get it that way.

Scant few seconds later and Althea, Tamara and Dawn were joining Sereno in his bedroom. The naiad wore a dress of an almost skin tone color of cream which was laced around the neck and waist with maroon while her human friend wore embellished layers of dark blues that melted nicely with the dark chocolate of her curls and made the shine of the white jewels around her eyes stand out all the more. Coraline wasn't surprised to see Dawn in green once again—today's choice mirrored the smooth tones of a honeydew fruit. "We're all just going to walk down together." The Princess announced unnecessarily.

"Cool. No worries of being late then, we have the lady of the hour with us," Coraline joked as she unwound the white cloth from her head and shook loose her short, sodden locks. Althea walked into the bathroom with her and stood her in front of the mirror before taking a comb to the other girl's head. The naiad liked doing things like this, she was a very hands on person, being able to play with hair was like a security blanket for her.

"Don't worry! I brushed my teeth. On three now, one, two," the girl took in a long inhale of air and then where she would have said three, pressed her lips together and blew: the strong gust that would have left anyone else's mouth was amplified three times the amount and Coraline was forced to close her eyes against the literal wind that hit her. This was repeated twice more and then Coraline was finished.

"Thanks! Does anyone else need to do anything before we leave?" The Earth teen asked nicely as she looked herself over once more in the water-speckled mirror, tucking loose strands of hair behind her ears.

"No, we're good to go." Tamara answered and everyone knew there was no need to double check. With nothing else left to do, the small group exited into the hallway and made their way towards the grand throne room which had been turned into a dining room for this occasion—as was done for many other events similar. Today's wasn't really a major celebration but it was a tradition that they had decided to keep.

Dawn was pushing open the doors when Marion appeared in the opening from the other side with a worried expression on his thin, elvish face. "Troubling news," he whispered gravely to his princess, "Ealhdun of the Fae is here unlooked for." His eyes traveled directly to Coraline who flinched backward instinctively under the man's concerned, chestnut gaze.

Sereno's grip was firm on the girl's shoulder and he moved to stand slightly in front of her. "We must get you back to your room at once. The fae are very regal but they also carry an unsettlingly delicate view on humans. We're even on high alert with Tamara in their presence."

"Why come to some simple dinner, though? Is Althea so important?" Coraline asked in a whisper as she consented to take a few steps backwards.

Dawn chuckled softly despite the moment, "Not quite." She pulled Marion into the hall with them and shut the doors behind him swiftly.

"He once tried to court me..." Althea answered with a blush.

"Is he terrible or something?" There was rising concern in Coraline's stance. Another small chuckle sounded, this one from Althea herself.

"No, not really. I just have commitment issues I guess." She regained control of her features, "But, still, it would be best if you sat this meal out. Don't worry, I'm not offended and I'll personally have something brought to you in secret."

Coraline thought about this for a moment, realizing the sense in the decision but disliking the unfairness. Althea might have been trying to lighten the mood by saying _she _wasn't offended, but for the first time Coraline was discovering that she _was_. Her face took on a sour expression but she spun around to be led away properly, "So not right," she was muttering.

"I'll sit it out with you if you'd li-" Sereno was cut off as the double doors behind them swung open elegantly.

"Marion, whither have you run off?" A smooth voice called and appearing in the opening stood a man in dark purple pants, a white ruffled poet's shirt and lavender and white streaked hair pulled back to the nap of his neck which dropped to his waist. His multi-colored eyes, one green and the other a sandy orange locked instantly on the retreating Earth girl and the small crowd she was with. "Forsooth! You hath located the rest of the banquet." The lean man walked behind the group and extended his arms to light-heartedly herd them into the room.

Coraline was suddenly, desperately wishing that she had made her retreat faster, her hands were unconsciously digging into Sereno's arm as he had no choice but to escort her in. The room was full of people, some already seated but most still milling around, lost in their own conversations. The newly arrived group was heading directly towards the table. "And you have yet another guest among you in this lively castle! What, pray-tell, is your name young lady?" The fae's eyes were studying her curiously, as if entering her very mind.

"Coraline Jones," A credit to her nature, her voice did not waver at all as she said this. In truth, she was marginally beginning to loosen her grip and calm down. He wasn't being hostile and he even sounded the part of an English gentlemen. 'Old English gentlemen. Do I get footnotes to come along with this guy? Forsooth, really? What does that even mean?'

"And you hail from Earth, should my senses fail me not. Interesting, interesting indeed." The tall man commented as they all came within reach of the seats. "I do muse the reason you are here in Rahet... should your dryad friend go current from suspicion?"

"Huh?" Coraline was trying hard to follow his meaning, but the archaic terminology was confusing her a bit. Luckily, she was not forced to answer as Morgana did so for her from the head of the large table.

"This newest guest came to us quite by accident while we were retrieving one of our own. Coraline was present for the downfall of Karishka, do you remember her?" The elvish Queen was standing beside her high-backed chair and wearing a magenta gown with a raspberry and black corset, her dark hair lying loose and in curls down her back; she looked a softer sort of regal today. "In truth, she can be credited with her end."

Ealhdun glanced at Coraline and then back at the Queen. "The name doth stir memory. Yet, it does want a face in my mind. Perchance, was she a vampire?"

"No, she was a Beldam that escaped to Earth nearly a millennium ago." Morgana informed him with shake of her head.

The fae chuckled, "Then far be it from me to recall such a thing. A trifle detail at best. Though," he looked over at Coraline as Sereno was pulling out her chair for her, "Beldams are most vulgar beings. I assume you had quite the trial with her."

The teen nodded her head, unsure whether or not a verbal answer was needed. "Karishka had been planning on taking Coraline as her fourth victim. As you know, they prefer to steal the life span of those they catch, that's how she was able to survive one hundred years Earth time without the benefit of our life-span. She ate it from children over there." The Queen supplied while slowly the room's other occupants began to collect at the table since it seemed everyone was now present. "We discovered her whereabouts three children too late..."

"A curséd fate, to fall pray to such base actions. All for the lust of human flesh no less." Ealhdun's voice was a double edged jab, the first implied dislike of humanity that Coraline had heard from him. But, perhaps she had imagined it. He wasn't the easiest of people for her to completely understand to begin with. "She could have very well remained here if it were truly long life she was seeking."

The pale-headed man seemed to swiftly pick up on the fact that he might have offended the castle's most recent guest and added soon after to counter his first statement, "T'is not to say that such flesh is base, merely the unreasonable lengths some creatures will go to harm it. Or," he smirked charmingly at the young girl, "to possess it."

At the head of the table Morgana cleared her throat, "Let's move to lighter subjects, shall we? It is an unexpected pleasure to have you here today, Ealhdun, but let's not distract ourselves from the real meaning behind this little dinner." She smiled in a child-like manner and her black eyes sparkled in humor at her next words, "Today marks the day Althea decided to give clothing and civilization a second try! The meal here is of rabbit and deer, along with roots and berries to provide comparison to her rather unique childhood." This latter explanation was for Coraline's sake, as everyone else had become accustomed to it long ago. "As always, enjoy!"

The Queen sat down and after her followed the rest of the room, the squeak and clamor of thirty some-odd chairs scooting up to the table. A festive toast to Althea followed after and dinner was commenced. Sereno had quite assertively sat himself between Coraline and the fae for sake of precaution, but to all appearences, it was unndeeded as he engaged Dawn and Althea from across the table. The Earth girl, for her part, was picking calmly from her plate and holding light conversation with some of the castle's other resedents. Nevertheless, if he still had a tail, it would be twitching in nervous aggitation.

Ealhdun was radiating charm. This was not figurative, as the raised hair on the back of Sereno's neck pointed out. The dryad took heart that his queen seemed to share his same frame of mind, and a quick glance around the table told him that both Ralston and Marion held the same cautious opinion that something wasn't quite right. The look in their eyes and the guarded postures in which they sat let him know that he wasn't just being paranoid.

The truth was, the fae were somewhat infertile within their own race—this wasn't always the case, but their reputation for seducing humans to carry their seed didn't spring out of thin air. A few of them at the table could easily see the suggestively alluring aura the visitor was emmanating, though, it was still unclear whether this was to put an uncomfortable girl at ease or to make it easier should he try and win her over in the future.

On the inside Sereno smirked as he recalled how his feline self was inclind to mark what he decided was his, but he was sure he couldn't get away with that now—not even then, if he were honest with himself. This thought startled him. Had he honestly been talking to himself as if Coraline was his?

"How say you, sir?" Sereno was ripped from his thoughts by the light-hearted comment beside him. He turned his attention back to the pale blonde and purple-haired male. It seemed he had been talking and had thought Sereno was paying attention.

"Pardon? I was distracted," the dryad played it off with a polite smile. His blue eyes were sizing up the other male. Animal instincts that had run almost every aspect of his life for the last twenty years were coming to the foreground again. This fae was starting to carry himself as a rival—at least, in Sereno's mind. Still, he would be civil and social.

Ealhdun smiled and repeated what he had said and this time Sereno politely kept his attention on the conversation at hand.

* * *

The dinner had passed without incident. Morgana had pulled out her diplomatic skills and had offered a room to the visiting high-ranked fae and Ealhdun had graciously and eloquently accepted the invitation. It would only be for a few days, he assured, long enough to bask in the beautiful hospitality of the kingdom but no longer so as not to impose.

Sereno sighed; politics. It was all an intricate dance and each new pirouette might be a spin off a cliff. Luckily, Morgana was one of the best "ballerinas" in all of Rahet. He would have to trust his Queen on this one.

The raven-haired man was setting on top of his chest of drawers and looking out his open, left hand window, facing away from the bathroom door. There was nothing else planned for the rest of the day and nightfall would be coming soon. He deeply breathed in the evening air and yawned, relaxing his body to lean forward onto the windowsill and allowed the wind to kiss his skin. He was feeling a little put out at the moment, his earlier train of thought having never quite left him and now he was reconsidering it with full attention.

He was unsure if his feelings were genuine or if perhaps this was just how he was rationalizing how he would nip that English fae's advances in the bud. When he thought about it, he had practically watched Coraline grow up! Of course he felt some affection for her, and he had already stated that he would protect her from threats—even if the 'threat' was a marriage proposal. He snorted at the thought, but he knew first hand, however, that his concerns were not outlandish. Tamara had been asked on more than one occasion to become a bride herself.

His brows furrowed. Yet did this excuse the feelings of over protectiveness that gnawed at his insides? They had protected the Royal Seer three times over from unwanted suiters, Coraline would be treated in the same fashion, so why was he fretting? He allowed one thought to lead to another and he suddenly felt extremely guilty. What had he just been saying about watching her grow up? He felt worse than a pedophile, he was over 3,000 years old for Heaven's sake!

'But physically, you're not much older than her.' His mind reasoned. 'But she's seventeen!' The other half of him protested. Was that old enough to know what she really wanted in a man? In the six years that he'd known her, she had only dated, unsuccessfully, two other boys. He half wondered why she and Wybourne had never given it a shot—they had enough in common with being an arm's throw away from social normality. But even he could see the brother-sister bond that had formed between them over the years and he dismissed the idea.

Where did that leave him then? With a head-ache. What did he even see in the girl? Too much. She wasn't over-all coordinated, but she had a charm about her. She had matured a lot since their first meeting, and though he still felt she lived more in her own world than the real one, she expressed it better and without the selfish tendencies of a child. She clearly didn't care what people thought of her, but she didn't do it rudely or without tact; she was innocent, curious, and intelligent.

Sereno sighed again, just who was he trying to convince here? A knock at his door brought him to attention. "Come in," whoever it was, he didn't feel like sitting up for them and though he looked over, his arms were still folded on the windowsill. 'Speak of the devil...'

Coraline shut the door behind her and walked over to the white dresser on which he sat. "I'm not interrupting anything, hm?" Aside from a train of thought, she could clearly see that she hadn't walked in on something important. Sereno smirked and shook his head. She smiled—he looked so cat like in that position—and decided to sit down on the corner of his bed.

"I thought you would be spending the rest of the time with Dawn and the others," he stated off-handedly.

"I didn't really know what they were talking about after a while. A week just isn't long enough to absorb a whole history and culture," she replied with a shrug. "Mind if we play 200 questions again?"

The dryad laughed and sat up, propping his back against the wall and pulling one leg up to his chest to use as an arm rest. He felt he should go ahead and get comfortable, this game sometimes did go up to 200 questions. Often they left 200 with a fond farewell and sent it a postcard from 400. He had an idea as to what tonight's topic might center around.

"Not that it wasn't cute, but what in the world was up with that Ail-don's speech?" She asked, mispronouncing the fae's name. That was one place to start, she decided.

Sereno's gut clenched at the adjective 'cute' used in reference to the other man but he reminded himself that the word was not necessarily a term of endearment in Earth culture. She merely meant that she found it quirky in a way that didn't annoy her. Yes, that's what she meant. "His name is pronounced e-ale-done," He corrected, "and his strange way of talking is due largely to the fact that he was speaking in English the whole time."

Coraline's eyebrow rose in confusion, "So was I, last I checked." And here it was, she has been wondering about communication but had never bothered to ask.

"No, you just think you are because your mind is familiar with it, but everyone else hears Elvish from you. Don't think about it too hard or the spell will lose its hold on you and you really will go back to speaking English and it'll all have to be reset. As soon as you entered here, the receptors in your brain—how shall I say—sort of plugged into our frequency." He explained and though she looked at him blankly she was nodding her head slowly. "Ealhdun is originally from Rahet, unlike you, so his pattern of speech didn't have to switch over."

"So... if you all spoke English, you'd sound like a Shakespeare play?" Coraline asked, tilting her head slightly to the side. That sort of made sense, but then again, it didn't.

"It goes back to when I was saying things changed very little over here," Sereno tried to explain. "Here, how about a different question? If we're going to get over fifty before the sun sets, we need to keep it up." The girl laughed and Sereno's stomach flopped. He gave her a once over and then shook his head without her noticing. It wouldn't do, he told himself. He would enjoy her company while he could, he would keep her safe and when the full moon came, he would send her home with best wishes.

"Heeellooooo, you there?" Coraline was waving her arms back and forth to get his attention. He mentally kicked himself, he had zoned out again!

He smiled, "Sorry about that. What?" He was going to have to learn to keep his wits about him. 'No more introspective nonsense!' He declared to himself before giving the girl his full attention. If he kept this up, they wouldn't even make it to question ten.

* * *

**_(A/N): Well, it seems I lost everyone's attention back at chapter 4, the only person who reviewed was my beta. Let's hope 5 has won some people back over, I'd hate to think I was boreing or something. _**


	6. Intermission

Like jewels in the sky, the stars shown down brightly onto the tranquil and nearly empty landscape. The night was as calm as late summer would permit it to be and a gentle breeze ruffled the elderly trees.

Wybie stood stalk-still as he stared at the now empty space of the lid to the old well, his mouth slack in shock. The air hummed quietly around him, as the bugs continued their symphony undisrupted.

It was as if neither of them had been there at all! The light had come and gone and in a single breath his friends had disappeared.

The boy let his hand drop back to his side and blinked. "Wha-"

_**(A/N): And then he caught up to the timeline in our story. XD No need of proceeding further on Wybie's side of things or we'll end up in the future as far as in connection to Coraline's. So, April Fools! for a real chapter. **_

_**Okay, the real reason I posted this was to let you guys know that chapter six is taking far longer than I anticipated. I've gotten myself a new job and adjusting my hobbies around my now shortened free-time has been more difficult that I would like. I couldn't very well just post an author's note, so I gave everyone a little snippet. Not that it will really do anything in regards to tiding you over until the next real update. It merely serves to show that I'm not dead. My muse might be, but I'm not. **_

_**I have 2 ¼ pages written for chapter six altogether, as of right now. This upsets me. My chapters run an average of six to eight pages and in the past I had been able to write one in under a week's time. Now here I am two MONTHS later and I can't seem to get any further at a decent pace. **_

_**The reviews I have been getting make me extremely happy, I cannot even begin to express. As well as all those who have add this story to their favorites or alerts. Thank you guys so much! I hope that the wait for you all wont be too terribly longer. **_


	7. Chapter 6

**(A/N): Look! I'm alive! I'm sure a number of you thought I had given up on this story. Far from it! It was just refusing to cooperate. I literally fought my muse tooth and nail in my free time. Finally, I realized I needed a different approach and tried pampering him instead by lighting incense, candles and my dragon lamp with some piano and violin mood music. And this is the product. This is more of a transitional chapter for the story, giving some much needed setting background. And so, without further preamble, the long awaited update! **

**Chapter Six**

Long ago, the torn and war accustomed lands of Rahet were once unified and tranquil. A time when war and power struggles were held instead on the young and tenacious Earth. Travel between the two worlds was easy and often Rahetians would have stronger feelings of allegiance towards an Earthen country over their own. The gates to and fro were many and well trafficked. It was a time recorded as a golden age for both realms. Magick flowed freely and time drifted on an unhurried but steady pace.

But, as the centuries wore on, some of the gates grew old and useless and the line between one world and the other grew more well-defined. People and creatures became less motivated to leave their own lands and the distinct cultures throughout began to plateau. For Rahet, things already showed signs of slowing down.

Then the plague came, Black Death.

In fear and in hopes of isolating it, what remained of the gates were destroyed. Even in the far corners where the sickness would likely never be able to touch, the leaders sealed and demolished the magick portals between the worlds and a great hush was felt in history.

Only later would the people of Rahet find out how grave a mistake that had been. Some of the rarer natural resources that Earth held in plenty were now denied them. Countrymen, kinsmen, who hadn't made it home in time were now stranded from their families, dying. And the most startling realization, the people from Rahet were not.

It didn't take but a small handful of years to discover that Time hardly had but a flimsy grasp on them now. They and all but stopped aging, and the figurative cork that had been placed in the veil dividing the two dimensions had left them with waves of surplus magick energy. The raw, untapped energy began infesting their world with it's own plague; animating objects, and more unpleasant, corpses.

A solution was sought immediately. A select chosen few people and artifacts were to draw the excess magick into themselves. Among them were Morgana of the elves, Demetrious of the mages, and the late Charles Baptist, an almost common but dearly loved man of court.

The talismans that took in the Power were buried and locked away. Out of the seven people who took it, only three remained sane after the fusion. Morgana and Demetrious both assumed the throne of their respective kingdoms whereas Count Baptist was ambushed for his new status while spending a holiday with his wife and daughter in a quiet but tragically remote cottage.

Those first decades after the sealing of the gates became known as the Dark Years. The struggle against their magick had a solution, but it took countless efforts to correct the agelessness that had settled over the land. An attempt was made to resurrect the ancient gates, the ones that had ceased working ages ago out of natural causes and neglect. Three of the nineteen they had relocated were able to be restored. To help, the mages also created a systematic ritual which could serve the same purpose as a gate without needing one.

Now that they could cross back over, what they found on the other side surprised them. Earth had changed. They were looking at a new world, one in which they were slowly fading away into myth and legend. Time whip-lashed back into Rahet, and in those first uncertain new years a lot of fuss arose as to what to do about Earth.

The humans had carried on without them. Their ways and priorities had migrated. And to a sensitive few, the paths their Earthen counterparts had chosen were deemed poor ones.

Yet, it was largely agreed that the two realms should remain separate and independent of each other now that so much of a chasm existed between them. But what is popular rule is not always majority followed.

Resentment and unrest had been growing in Rahet since the smashing of the gates and now things could never again be as they were. Those who had the say-so where out to make sure of it.

The three surviving gates were sunk underground and guarded. The ritual that the mages had designed was taken to a vow of silence and not to be used unless under specific orders from those in power. And much to the displeasure of rival monarchs, those with power fell by default to the elves with Morgana and the mages with Demetrious.

The need for security was clear. When the worlds were cut from each other they both lost something costly. Earth had lost all but a little of it's magick. It was vulnerable to it.

Whoever controlled the means to Earth also had the power to thereby control Earth. So began the innumerable wars. They were cries for power, pleas for change. And the next and most significant of them all was about to begin.

* * *

It began with a letter.

The nature of the correspondence was light and friendly, reflecting the mood of its author. It explained that he would be about a week behind on his intended return date. That his unlooked for extended holiday might be far more fruitful that he had ever expected.

Ealhdun dropped his quill back into the ink-well and sealed the parchment, completely unaware that he had simultaneously sealed the fate for Thistle Edge and all of Rahet thereafter.

_**(A/N): Thanks and Thanks again to the wonderful reviewers who have continued to give me support and motivate me to come back to this story. You guys have reminded me how much I love it. With work and my now chaotic home-life I cannot guarantee a quick update, however I'm going to try for all that's in me never to let it go this long again. At the worse, I hope to have chapter seven up by or on Thanksgiving. **_


	8. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

It was cold. Darkness surrounded her and little creatures scurried around and crawled across her, leaving an unpleasant tingle in their wake. She could perceive thousands of legs, hundreds of eyes, but only two, painful and abrasive arms. The freezing claws bore down on her shoulders, holding her in place. She couldn't get away as the rasp of scraping metal and the must of old, disused air filled her senses.

Her voice was gone. She tried to scream, to call for help. But who would find her here? She was alone with the monster.

Her throat tightened as again she fought to make a sound, any sort of shout. Someone had to hear her, someone would surely come for her. It was becoming harder to breath. Then, there was a prick against the side of her brow before icy, bone-like fingers covered her eyes.

She was going to take her eyes! At that horrifying realization, Coraline found her voice, "No!"

The jolt was enough to wake her, and for a moment after her eyes opened she worried whether it was a dream or not. Starlight trickled through the pale green curtains and dimly illuminated her modestly furnished room as she lie motionless in the sheets for a moment while her breathing returned to normal. Had she yelled out loud? The room remained tranquil, suggesting that she hadn't.

She was alone. It had been years since the last time she had had a nightmare so vivid, and about the Beldam no less. Coraline pulled the covers closer to her chin and cuddled her face into the downy, cream pillow. What had caused her to have such a terrible dream? She felt vulnerable, even more so than she felt as a child, lacking the stubborn determination that had carried her through the original trails that dream had reflected.

An unfamiliar loneliness settle over as she drew her knees up to her chest. When she was younger, she would simply sneak into her parents bed when she'd had a nightmare; later, it was as much comfort just to know that they were right down the hall. She didn't have that security now, and though she felt it was silly, she missed it. It had been three weeks since she had come here, it was officially the longest she had ever been away from her parents. Her stomach tightened, she would be returning by the end of the week.

In a way, she was relieved, but there was a restless ache in her heart for the loss of the friends she had made here. Would she be allowed to visit? Would anyone of them visit her? Corlaine's stomach clinched at the thought. She rolled over and out of the bed, tugging down and smoothing out her nightgown as she did so. She walked over to the window, pulled back the curtains and climbed upon the dresser drawer, in the way Sereno was fond of, and looked out over the castle grounds.

Her eyes followed the wide, cobbled walkway that led out from the entrance and between the two lavish flower gardens on either side of the building. From her vantage point on the forth story, she could see over the high, guard mounted wall that encircled the palace. Beyond it was a city, and further still, well beyond her vision, were acres of vast farmland, on the border of which was the rest of the forest that wrapped around and separated this kingdom from it's neighbors. That had been Sereno's answer when she'd asked.

Sereno. At the thought of the dark-haired man Coraline bit her lip and looked over at the closed door to the bathroom separating their rooms. She would be leaving him. Her mind wandered back to the days she had spent in the company of his feline form, how he'd doze quietly in her lap or on her window seal while she did homework or doodled in her sketchbook. She wondered if _he _would ever visit. Would he come as a cat again? Or, now that the Other Mother was gone, would he cross over normally?

If any of them visited her, would they have to come as animals? She could easily picture Dawn as a dainty kestrel, or Althea as a lean and scruffy coonhound. But she shook her head, from what she had learned, it wouldn't be likely to see these people ever again.

She felt hot tears begin to form in her eyes. She hadn't expected to get so attached. "Oh, now you're just being silly," she whispered to herself. "Of course you'll see them again, someday…" She whipped her face and took a deep breath, focusing her eyes back out the window, this time looking up at the waxing moon.

Coraline remembered a time when she disliked the moon. The first year after the little door had been locked she did not trust the night time. Now, she was very neutral to it again. It was a time when the world seemed to slow down and thoughts got away from you. A time to rest. She was neglecting the latter part of that observation, she acknowledged, as she stifled a yawn.

The initial fear that had awoken her was long gone, but she didn't feel like going back to sleep just yet. The soft bed waiting behind her was as comfortable as always, but tonight, it felt empty. She now missed the days when she had a gentle purring to lull her into slumber. She slumped against the window frame and let out a sigh. "This isn't like me at all," she muttered. Swallowing hard she let her eyes drift back over to the door at her left.

Her stomach hurt and she was leaving in less than seven days, she reasoned as she stood up, surely that justified what she was thinking about doing. Her fingers hovered over the cool brass of the door handle as she weighed the excuses she had. 'Oh, what the heck…' With that she grasped the knob and turned it before her resolve could give way. She crossed the floor with soft steps and at his door she closed her eyes and knocked lightly. There was no answer.

Deciding that since she had come this far, she had might as well follow through, she opened the door into his room. She pushed it slowly, trying not to let it creek as she peeked in. A tuff of black hair was visible beneath the thick red covers on the bed across the room. She stepped in and shut the door behind her, the click of the handle catching caused the figure to twitch.

Sereno groggily pulled the blanket away from his face, opening one blue eye lazily. It took a moment for his mind to register what it was he was looking at, but when it did both of his eyes opened. The man yawned, his tongue curling out in a feline manner and then he sat up. "Is something wrong?" His voice was thick with sleep. He took in the girls weary figure across from him, her messy hair first and then her red-rimmed eyes. He quickly guessed the rest.

"Sorry I woke you," she answered quietly, crossing the room quickly. She was sorry, but that didn't mean she was backing out. She had made up her mind, after all. Very little could dissuade her after she had decided to do something. "I had a bad dream… but that's just the lame half of my excuse."

"You don't need the other half of it," he assured, fully awake now. He scooted over and pulled the covers back for her, an offering that she gladly took. "Need to talk?"

"Maybe," she shrugged as she settled in beside him, pulling the covers up to her chest and rolling over. "I think I need a hug more." For all her quirks and rough edges, Coraline Jones was still a girl. Instead of his usual smirk, a gentle smile played across Sereno's lips as he obliged her.

"It's going on your time of the month, isn't it?" He'd lived with her long enough to know, and he suspected that it was playing a part in the young woman's current mood. She didn't seem to agree, however.

Coraline scowled and punched him in the arm, "So a girl can't get a little emotional without it having to be PMS, huh? I happened to have been thinking about what it's going to be like when I go home."

Sereno calmly chuckled and shushed her. "I'm not questioning your sincerity, dear," he assured her. "Only recognizing your schedule, and that you're in a sensitive state. That's all." He ran a hand through her tangled and tussled bed hair. "You're nervous about going back?" The subject was changed.

This seemed to placate her and she rested her head on his chest in an unusually open display of affection. "Kind of. I'm worried I wont see any of you guys again." She felt the tears threatening to come once more now that she'd verbalized her concerns to him. "I guess I just didn't really think about it till now…"

Sereno felt his heart clinch. He had certainly thought about it. "Shh," he coaxed gently as he pet her head. "Don't worry about that,' his voice was soft and soothing. "You should go back to sleep, there's still a few more hours before the sun rises." She nodded against him, her eyes already closing of their own will. She was either too tired to pick up on his subtle omission of an answer, or something in her mind was refusing to let her. Otherwise, she would have protest his vague reassurance. "We have a dance to attend later this evening, you need your rest."

"Mmhm…" Her breathing was already slowing. She'd felt immediately more at ease the instant he'd hugged her. Now, her body was settling back down, ready for slumber.

They would both be grateful for the sleep they got that night come the ones to follow.

_**(A/N): Coincidentally enough, this talk-of-bed chapter was written in the mid to late A.M. I'm going to regret this come the afternoon, but hey, I wasn't about to pass up an opportunity to work cooperatively with my Muse. I wanted some fluff, darn it! They were a little awkward about agreeing to that at first, but then I decided it was probably about time for Coraline's period (sorry, it's nature) and therefore she had a valid excuse to be a little out of character. Because, really, who survives that week completely normal?**_

_**The next chapter will be longer. I don't really like posting short fillers. It's about time we got to the meat of this story! Chapter Eight kicks it off. If I'm not back before Christmas, you guys have a wonderful holiday season!**_


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